Alternative Being
by nethowin
Summary: I never chose my change; I just was. No say in the matter whatsoever. For better or for worse, I will cope until I can find the answer to all of it.
1. Chapter 1

**This story is dedicated to a child of whom I believe was my little sister. She once was but has never been.**

(A/N: The character named Dawn in this story is not the canon character.)

* * *

I'm finally going home after all the training and battling I had to endure. Now, before I head to the Pokémon league, will be the best time to visit and prepare.

I inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh scent of what the evening trail had to offer. The scenery was calm and very enjoyable. Trees, flowers, green grass, and Pokémon covered Route 30 as my companion and I traveled south.

"Once we get home, we'll take a well deserved rest for the week. Sounds good, eh Flame?" I asked my Typhlosion, who was walking at my side.

Her navy-blue fur on her backside looked ruffled up from our previous battle. I made a mental note to groom her when she healed up.

She happily looked at me and let out a cry in agreement.

"And I get to see Dawn again," I said, smiling at a picture she drew for me before I left on my journey.

_I grabbed my one-strapped bag and Flame's Pokéball as I double checked all my supplies before heading for the door._

_"You have everything?" I heard my mom's voice in the other room._

_Looking around my room, I triple checked after looking over myself. My short black hair was combed, and the white shirt with navy blue jeans I wore, fresh and clean. "Yeah, I think so," I responded. This was it; I'm finally going on my journey. Usually kids go on journeys at the age of 10 but from what I've heard, most of them didn't last a couple months. Some came home crying, got lost, or found the courage to continue._

_To my anger, my mother forced me to wait till I was 16 years old to travel the world. No matter how long or loud I pouted, she wouldn't give in. I knew she was right though. Before I chose to run away, she offered to teach me various skills such as outdoor camping, training, food shortage situations, battle styles, and survival in those emergency cases. Everything she taught me, I knew it would be useful in the long run so I decided to go along with her plans._

_I made my way towards our front door, slipping on my hiking boots and a black rain jacket. My mother came to meet me while I searched around for the other family member. "Where's Dawn?" I asked._

_"I don't know," she replied. "Dawn! Your brother is leaving! Come say bye!"_

_"I'm getting something!" a squeaky voice yelled out._

_My mom shook her head. "Jeez, always distracted." I smiled at her truth. "Awww, I'm going to miss you."_

_"I'll miss you too," I said, hugging her._

_We released a moment later when my six year old sister came running down the hallway with something in her hand. She was so cute. Her short black hair bouncing as she ran and her outfit increased her cuteness incredibly._

_Dawn ran up to me. "Could you catch this Pokémon for me? Pretty please?" She handed me a small paper which held a drawing._

_I instantly recognized the Pokémon as Lucario. I grinned at her drawing, which was pretty good, copied from one of the books I gave her. "If I find one, I will," I told her._

_She held her hands together. "Promise?"_

_I knew that Lucario aren't found in Johto but she didn't know that fact, and I didn't want to let her down. Besides, how could I say no to those adorable puppy looking eyes of hers. I bent down to her height. "I promise."_

_"Yay!" She ran up and gave me a big hug. "Bye brother! Come back soon," she said looking excited and sad._

_"You bet," I replied, patting her back and standing straight again._

_My mom smiled and looked at me. "Make sure you call me so I know you're ok."_

_"I will," I said, storing the picture in my bag before opening the door. It was lightly raining outside and grey clouds filled the sky. Surely wasn't the best of days to start a journey. "Take care mom. Love you," I said, walking onto the door steps._

_"Love you too and be careful," she replied._

_I looked towards Dawn, "bye Dawn."_

_"Bye brother!" she yelled out, waving her hand._

_And with the end of our goodbyes, I was off, headed towards the outskirts of New Bark Town._

Flame made a sound to grab my attention, curiously trying to look at the drawing.

I noticed and held it out for her to gaze upon. "Sorry, I guess I've never shown it to you. This Pokémon is called Lucario," I explained. "It's Dawn's favorite...I promised to catch one for her."

She looked at me again but with a disappointing frown this time. "What? I didn't catch one yet because Lucario aren't found in this region," I defended, scratching behind her ear. "But we might have to do some traveling after the league though."

Flame nuzzled up to me in agreement, clearly enjoyed by my touch but yawned shortly after. "You're probably tired after a battle filled walk." She nodded and I reached for her Pokéball at my belt. "Take a rest until we get to the Pokémon centre."

We stopped as a red beam engulfed my starter, returning her to the device in my hand. I miniaturized the ball, clipped it to my belt, and continued walking down the dirt trail. After one last look at my sister's drawing, I placed it back into my bag.

After half an hour of walking, my feet starting aching for rest. Traveling by foot these past few days took a toll on my body. The lights in the distance could barely be seen as it grows darker and I didn't feel like traveling there tonight. So I decided to divert a good ways off the trail to a small grassy area surrounded by trees, and to my surprise, it looked comfortable.

Placing my bag on the ground, I sat down against a tree, excitedly thinking about seeing my family again after a year has passed. I pulled out the drawing again and examined it after what felt like the millionth time. Only the outline of the Lucario was visible at this time, since the sky was almost filled with the blackness of night with the stars and moon beginning their light show.

The area was so peaceful and quiet. Only the leaves made a symphony of whistling as the slight breeze passed by.

I sighed, resting my head up against the tree, closing me eyes and holding the picture close. Hope I can get some rest for the big day tomorrow.

Suddenly Flame's Pokéball shook, forcing me to look down at her Pokéball with one eye. "Try get some rest Fl-," I was interrupted mid-sentence as I diverted my gaze towards a blue light I noticed from the corner of my eye. As the light increased in brightness I immediately recognized it as an attack headed straight for me at high speed, making me go wide eyed. I shot up immediately but as soon as I turned, it hit me somewhere on the side with such force to slam my whole being into the tree and onto the ground. Immense pain surged throughout my body as consciousness quickly slipped away.


	2. Chapter 2

I awoke to the chirps of bird Pokémon and the fresh forest smell. My eyes slowly opened, blurred, feeling like they've never been used before. In an attempt to shift around on my back, soreness scattered throughout my body in response, making me groan in pain. A massive headache came and went in a matter of seconds, which I never experienced before.

The memories of the attack began returning. Wait...that attack! I quickly got up to my knees, only to feel pain and regret for my action. Out of all the pain in my body, it was my right arm that held the most, enough to not move it at all. I rubbed my shoulder, trying to ease the pain, but...I felt different.

I forced my eyes open, this time they focused and I was able to clearly view my surroundings of the exact place I remembered; the grassy area...and not a soul in sight. The sun shone through the clouds, right in the middle of the sky to indicate mid-afternoon. I looked towards the direction in which the attack came from but found nothing but more trees and bushes.

My gaze fell to my aching arm, but what I found wasn't my own. A paw held onto my shoulder. A...paw? I held my black paw out in front of me in pure disbelief. A round steel-looking spike penetrated my forepaw and I had three fingers instead of five. To make sure I wasn't dreaming, I unzipped my jacket to find another spike pointed outwards in the middle of my chest. I was right. A lucario, but...how? How's this in any way possible?

I stayed in that position for quite some time, calming down and thinking about my sudden and alarming change, until I snapped back to reality thanks to the breeze. My clothes felt really uncomfortable for some odd reason. With my new fur covering every inch of my body, the clothes just increased my temperature and they felt bigger, so I decided it was best to let my fur alone keep me warm. After taking everything off, I felt a whole lot more comfortable without them. After stuffing all the clothes in my bag, I examined myself again. Blue, black, and cream-coloured fur covered my entire being. I now had paws, ears placed on top my head, four appendages on the back of my skull, and a tail; a normal lucario form.

Everything felt new and foreign. I tried walking, but failed miserably as I tripped and fell after every attempt, which only added onto the pain. Then I tried walking on my toes like in the drawing, and to my surprise it worked a whole lot better than trying flat footed. By that time, the soreness became almost bearable. I walked over to that same tree and found my bag where I left it, but my sister's drawing was missing. I searched around the area but it was nowhere in sight, just gone. It wasn't in my bag either.

I leaned up and hit my head against a tree in frustration. My most prized possession was missing.

"Look, over there. What is that?"

I glanced in the direction of that voice and found two male trainers staring at me.

"I don't know. I've never seen a Pokémon like that before," the other one whispered.

Even though they silently conversed about me from a good distance away, I could clearly hear them which I didn't find possible in human form.

Both trainers looked to be around 13 years old, one with brown hair and the other blonde.

The blonde one spoke up, "maybe it's a legendary. Let's catch it!"

The brown-haired kid nodded. "Ok."

Both of them pulled out a Pokéball and threw them in my direction.

"Go Yanma!"

"Attack Furret!"

The two Pokémon materialized in a flash of white before me and readied themselves for battle. I straightened up, picked up my bag using my left arm, and flung it over my shoulder.

There was no way I was getting captured. Too much was happening all too quickly.

"Furret, use fury swipes!" one trainer yelled, shortly followed by the other.

"Sonic boom!"

I quickly identified which way was south and ran as fast as I could, resisting the cries of my sore body and holding my painful arm. The sonic boom missed me by inches before the furret attempted to viciously scratch me with little to no accuracy. I made a groan, which surprisingly, turned into a growl as the pain increased with every heavy step I took. I used the advantage of the trees to block attacks and zigzagged around them in a successful attempt to confuse my pursuers. I passed by multiple Pokémon and a few people who mindlessly watched me sprint by.

Luckily those trainer's Pokémon weren't a high level or else they would have either captured me by now, or still following close behind. The two trainers tired out quickly, followed by their Pokémon shortly after. Five more minutes of running and I came to a small beach near a lakeside. I glanced back one last time; to my relief, I saw no one. Once I stepped onto the soft sand, I collapsed face first in exhaustion while panting heavily.

Please Arceus, no more trainers. There's no way I could continue fleeing. My limbs were aching for rest even before I fled. I looked up from my prone position to a big tree in the distance, away from the beach. The tall tree had many large branches which grown out tons of leaves that surrounded them. Perfect.

It took a while struggling to stand again before I limped towards my new found shelter and hiding spot. The tree was much bigger than when I first laid eyes on it as it looked to be as tall as a two story house, but climbing it was a whole different story. I swear it took me half an hour to climb a reasonable height before I found a suitable branch to lie back on. And it didn't help that one arm barely moved.

I sat there, thinking about my future; what I lost and what I gained. Now that I'm a Pokémon, won't I be able to use attacks? No attacks came to mind that lucario are able to perform.

There's another time for that anyway.

I examined my surroundings further: a couple metapod hung from branches, a caterpie feasting on leaves, and a sleeping pidgey at the very top; none of which were near me.

My stomach grumbled, making me realize that I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday. I pulled out an apple and a fruit snack bar from inside my bag. The apple was very juicy and delicious but the bar was being a pain. It was difficult to open with my paws but after nearly squishing the thing, I used my teeth instead to pry it open and ate the crumbs. Surprisingly, the two pieces of food almost made me full. It was only when I finished eating that I noticed fangs along with other sharp teeth where my others used to be. Interesting, I thought. It wasn't normal to me but it didn't bother me either.

I closed my eyes as I took in the soft sounds of waves and the whispers of the wind.

((((()))))

"Let. Me. GO!"

I slowly opened my eyes to a girl's scream and cries which interrupted my peaceful nap. What now, I thought.

"You are as stubborn as your mother!" a scruffy male voice yelled.

Those voices caught my interest as curiosity took over. I inched my way outwards from my branch, careful to find firm support in the blackness of night. Moving a couple small branches away, I saw two forms, one big and one small headed along the beach in my general direction.

The girl was screaming away curses and whatnot to the other one alongside her. I couldn't make out details, but I recognized that a teenage girl was being dragged behind the bigger-looking one by her hair. They both stopped as the big one threw the girl in front of him. She curled up, holding her head in pain.

The big one pointed at her. "Don't you ever...insult me in front of the guys!"

His voice seemed off, sounding like he'd been drinking. A moment later, I spotted a small, cat-like Pokémon sprinting toward them from where the two came.

"Don't touch her, you monster!" It - she yelled out. Did I hear that correctly? I actually understood what that Pokémon said?

The guy must have heard the feline's cries since he turned to face her, but once the Pokémon reached them, the guy booted her right in the side with enough power to send her some distance away.

"Stupid cat," he said.

My heart stopped. This situation was getting out of hand quick; the girl's backup just got kicked away like a soccer ball. The teenager gasped and quickly attended to the fallen Pokémon as the guy watched.

She carefully picked up the light coloured cat Pokémon, covering the unconscious feline with her whole body. I heard the girl crying, facing away from the man who brought them trouble.

The fat one spoke up, "You're pathetic, just like-"

"You don't deserve to say her name!" she yelled out, interrupting him.

I had enough. She was suffering way too much both physically and mentally. I fell from my position, ignoring the sharp pain in my right arm as I landed, and sprinted up to that evil man. Luckily, he didn't see or hear me approaching until it was too late. I used all my speed to deliver a powerful tackle, mostly using my left side, and sent him flying toward the water's edge.

I took the opportunity to examine both the man and girl. From my light vantage, the man wore extra large jeans and a plain black long sleeve shirt. He had short black hair which looked to be tidy at one point and looked to be in his late 40s. He held a strong smell of alcohol too. The girl on the other hand looked to be around 15 or 16 years old, who wore a white tank-top, dark coloured shorts, and hiking boots. Her short, shiny brown hair looked very messy and bruises were found on almost every limb. I assumed that both were related; most likely father and daughter.

He groaned as he struggled to stand. "You, whatever you are, stay out of this!"

I placed myself between the girl and that husky guy, growling as I held out my left arm in a protective gesture. The girl immediately lowered her crying when I did so as I glared at the guy.

"Why you-" he started, interrupting himself as pulled out a Pokéball from his pocket.

I eyed the Pokéball carefully, only backing away slightly.

The guy noticed my reaction. "Is someone scarred of a w'ittle Pokéball?" he mocked.

I narrowed my eyes at the object and readied myself for what I was about to confront. Instead of tossing to the ground, he threw it with horrible accuracy towards me instead, surprising me. I reacted quickly and smacked it away with my paw. The Pokéball sank into the sand and opened upon landing only to reveal an empty space. He attempted to capture me.

I looked back at the dumbfounded man and snarled. He looked frantically around for any assistance but found none, forcing him to cowardly flee towards the direction he originated. I relaxed and grinned at his unstable excuse for a run.

By that time, her sobbing subsided. I turned and found her staring at me with what I recognized to be an espeon laying motionless in her lap. When I stepped closer to her, she inched back a little, clearly afraid. The espeon looked badly hurt, having brutal bruises and cuts all over her body.

I rushed towards the tall tree, ignoring her weak request telling me to wait. There were supplies in my bag that I needed but it was way up there. It would take me forever to climb it again. I searched around for an object that would help and found a tall stick behind the tree; exactly what I needed. My bag tumbled down after a while of nudging it and I walked back to the girl.

She was still sitting on the sand, holding the espeon close when I arrived. I knelt down and felt around in my bag for a revive and a super potion before handing the two items to her. At first, she was hesitant, but smiled and gratefully took them from my paw.

"Thank you..."

I smiled and nodded.

The revive instantly woke the espeon and the injuries healed eventually with the super potion. The cat Pokémon raised her head and looked up to the girl. "You're ok?" she asked the human, which probably came out as an "esspeonn?" instead.

The girl let out a soft giggle as she held the Pokémon close; the espeon clearly enjoying the attention. When I took out my PokéGear, it read 3:04am. It was really late and I found myself oddly tired, but figured it was best to travel home at night since most trainers will be asleep. Plus I thought the girl would be ok since he's gone.

I readied my bag before flinging it around my shoulder, using my good arm of course, and identified Cherrygrove City in the distance.

As I stood to leave, the teenager let down her espeon and got up to her full height, which was noticeably higher than me. "W-wait! What are you?"

They both looked at me expecting an answer, but I didn't know how to respond verbally until a thought came to my mind. Of course, the Pokédex! I unzipped the small strap pocket of my bag and pulled out a square, white coloured device and activated it. I tried my best to navigate the device but it was challenging task with my paws. Unfortunately, my Pokédex didn't have a file on lucario or it wasn't downloaded yet. After a while, the girl walked around to see what I was doing.

I held the Pokédex out to her, which she took with confusion, and tapped at the device before pointing to myself.

She must've been a trainer since she knew exactly what I needed of her; aim the Pokédex at me. I stood a few paces back until the device made a couple confirmation beeps and a male monotone voice spoke up.

_Entry not found. Beginning search...Entry found from 'Sinnoh Database'. Downloading, please wait..._

_Lucario. It's said that no foe can remain invisible to Lucario, since it can detect auras. Even foes it could not otherwise see. This Pokémon is not yet found living outside the Sinnoh region._

Very interesting. I'm definitely going to find out if I can perform the same aura abilities, but not until I fully heal.

Then she did the unexpected.

She wrapped her arms around me (careful of my chest spike), pulling me into a hug, which I tensed up on instinct. I heard her sobbing again when she placing her head on my shoulder.

I hesitantly returned the hug to comfort her as the espeon padded up to us. "What is going on?" the Pokémon questioned in a young female voice. "Who are you?"

We both ignored the left out espeon when the girl spoke up with a grateful but weak voice, "thank you...Lucario."

It surely wasn't my name, but it is who I am.

The espeon was rubbing the girl's leg when we released, still trying to question both of us. I didn't attempt to speak because one, Pokémon can't speak to humans and two, I'm not sure if that espeon will understand me. So I kept my mouth shut.

"I don't want to go back..." the girl started, rubbing her eyes. "My dad will just punish me for what just happened."

"Don't worry Farrah, you have me!" the espeon said, overconfident.

"Here." The human, Farrah, gave the Pokédex back and pointed toward my hiding spot. "Do you stay in that tree?"

I wish I could tell her that it was a temporary hiding spot, but all I could do was nod in response.

Farrah picked up her espeon off the sand, who was purring, and looked back at me. "There's a secret spot I retreat to not far from here...to get away from home. You're welcome to stay the night there, with us...If you want."

I thought about her offer, exchanging looks between Cherrygrove City and back. Soreness remained in my body from the day before and it wouldn't hurt to rest before I continue traveling. I held onto my right arm, partially from pain and partially from habit, before nodding.

Farrah produced a wide smile as best she could in her condition. "Alright, this way," she said before walking along the beach, away from the city. I couldn't help but notice limping in her movements as I followed behind.

We walked along the waterline, only stopping to assist Farrah whenever she tripped and fell. Every now and then she would shiver from the cold night's air and hold Linx tighter; I didn't notice before but my fur kept me warm. The water beautifully reflected the moon's light as we strolled down the beach, printing our footprints onto the sand with every step. My eyes felt heavy and I yawned a few times; never being used to staying up throughout the night.

The terrain began getting rocky. A giant rock face closed in as she navigated me towards it, looking to be difficult to pass along the beach; extending into a hill to the right.

She pointed over to the huge rock. "It's just under there."

I searched around the rock's base for any hiding spot in confusion, but found none.

"You know what to do Linx."

We stopped when the espeon, named Linx, jumped from her hold and faced what looked like a natural wall that rounded towards the top. The rock didn't compare to the height of my tree but it looked wide. I watched in bewilderment as Linx's black pearl started glowing, then a vertical flat piece of rock shifted aside to reveal a dark passageway inside.

I've never seen Secret Power used for hiding spots before, only heard about the popularity of them in Hoenn.

Farrah mentioned me to follow before both of them crawled through the small entrance. I lowered to all fours only to collapse from another sharp pain in my right arm. I growled quietly in frustration and pain before trailing on three limbs.

The crawl wasn't long at all. Farrah switched on a dim camping light and Linx went back to close the only entrance. The small concluded area looked to be the size of a single bedroom from a hotel. The ceiling was rounded into a half sphere, several coloured blankets covered the sand, rocks served as tables held Farrah's various belongings, a few barely noticeable holes ventilated air, and a single sleeping bag was placed near one side.

I slowly crawled to an empty space, brought my left arm forward and fell sideways onto the soft blankets in relaxation; careful to not cause any more pain to my already aching arm. Fatigue took over as yawned, closed my eyes, and slightly curled my body. I didn't know why I felt this tired after having enough rest as it is, but my guess was because of this pain I've been having.

My ears twitched as I heard Farrah shift around. With my fur and the blankets combined, it felt like I was on a bed and it was truly comfortable. The temperature helped in making me fall asleep as it was at my favorite level; not warm but slightly cold.

Suddenly I felt a hand hesitantly pet me on the forehead but didn't bother to react; I knew who it was and I enjoyed the feeling. Farrah's soft touch made me fall asleep faster than I would have on my own.


	3. Chapter 3

"_DAWN! WHERE ARE YOU!"_

_I heard my mother scream her heart out as I took in the destruction unfolding in front of my eyes. She stood a safe distance away, yelling for my sister in our burning house. The flames and heat were so intense, I felt like my fur burned off from my current distance, which was a little further than my mom's position. The resulting smoke rose into the sky, camouflaged by the darkness of night._

_My heart raced the second I laid eyes on what was my home. I heard Dawn's screams and cries; thankfully they weren't screams of pain but screams of fear. Instinct took over when I spotted a glimpse of Dawn's small body through the now melting glass._

_A neighbor was holding my mother back, screaming for her daughter as I sprinted toward the blazing door._

_I loved my family so much, there was no way I was letting anyone go while I'm still alive._

_The front door broke down without any trouble when I forced all my weight and speed on it. Being inside a burning house was nothing I experienced before. It was to the point that my fur was turning black...I had little time. My feet were literally burning from pieces of extremely high temperature glass and wood shards as I endured the enormous pain. I scrambled to the living room where I found her curled up, crying loudly. _

_With both arms, I quickly picked her and shielded her small body by using mine. The house made a sickening groan just before a section of the second floor collapsed, cutting off any front exits. I was about to break for an alternative exit but the flames surrounded us, bringing fear into my own heart. I panicked, no ideas came to mind as more tiny fractions of wall burnt off their hold. My sister gripped my fur as tight as she could for dear life, at the same time screaming out for our mother, but her clawing didn't compare to the heat by far._

_I was on the verge of passing out from the intense pain as I struggled to stay awake. Time was shorter for me than the house. I jumped through a wall of flames toward the kitchen, avoiding flames that devoured the ground and found an unbroken window that was big enough for both my sister and I to fit through. Wasting no time, I buried my sister into my chest for protection, mindful of the spike, and lined up for a running start. With what strength I had left, I made a running start, quickly turned in mid-air, and broke through the window which shattered upon impact, landing on my back before sliding to a halt atop the grass._

_I yelled out in pain, or yelped, when I felt pieces of glass shred through my back upon landing. My eyesight blackened but I couldn't let myself go until we were safe. I used one arm to drag us along the dry grass, away from danger and into the trees. When I looked down to my sister, I was surprised when I found little to no burns on her body, just darkened spots on her clothes. Dawn's grip remained on my burnt fur, sobbing not as loud anymore._

"_Dawn!" Someone yelled out when we were spotted. It was the intense yell of my mother._

_Dawn looked up into my eyes, tears streamed down her small face while her eyes widened in realization. "L-l-lucario?"_

_She didn't know who I really was...and it hurt._

_I smiled as best I could, but the pain was too overwhelming._

_My body felt weak and it wouldn't allow me to move. I heard running and yells closing in._

_The pain was excruciating._

_I...feel..._

_She's safe..._

My eyes snapped open and my breathing intensified; the nightmare still fresh in my head. I slowly pulled myself to a sitting position, steadying each breath.

The sun's light shone through the few holes in the wall, giving enough to observe the room.

Farrah slept peacefully in the warmth of her sleeping bag while Linx too slept near her trainer.

I rubbed my eyes as I tried to rid the grogginess away, yawning after doing so. What a dream. I've always believed that dreams had meaning, but I couldn't figure out what my recent one was. It revolved around my sister, I knew that. Hopefully it won't...No, I shouldn't think like that.

My Pokémon needed to be let out and cared for, and the only Pokémon centre nearby was in the city.

Where trainers are.

I groaned under my breath in frustration. Being a Pokémon is whole different experience but it's not who I am inside. The worst part was that I never found answers of why it happened; absolutely nothing.

At least the Pokédex could provide some answers about these species. I couldn't find my bag anywhere until I realized I still had it on before pulling out the device. Careful not to wake the two, I switched off the voice and pulled up the file on lucario. To my disappointment, there was lack of information. What I found weird was that normally the Pokédex listed all learned attacks for every Pokémon on a team, but when I clicked my profile from the other night, it read "error" for almost every bit of important information.

Basic information like height, weight, type, wasn't what I needed to see until I explored a section on sightings. What that section held was far more helpful. It was basically stories of trainers who encountered lucario, all being from the Sinnoh region.

I came across an interesting one: A trainer climbed an impressive height on Mount Coronet and met a lucario who knew telepathy. From what I read, the lucario told of great dangers near the summit and convinced the trainer to turn back under one condition; that the lucario was to help with an important battle.

Another way to communicate? If only I knew how to perform such a feat. Maybe if I concentrate...lucario are known to use aura somehow.

I closed my eyes and steadied my mind. Nothing happened.

Not until a chill ran through my spine...then I saw it and quickly caught on. It wasn't the mind I need to work with, it's my whole being. It was glimpses of all different unimaginable colours I found in my head, or rather feelings. The second vision enabled me to see every detail in every object within range. Everything had its own, what do they call it...aura. The rocks, sand, my Pokédex, had an aura reading. But beings gave off enormous amounts, making it simple to distinguish between being and object. My aura sight had short radius, spanning only a few paces, but it was incredible! The aura that Farrah gave off told me that she was relaxed, peaceful, and calm; same with Linx.

A thought came to my mind. I used aura and concentrated solely on Farrah, and mentally called out her name.

She stirred in her sleep, but I wasn't sure if that was from my doing.

Again I softly called her name.

"Hmm...?" she softly moaned.

It worked!

Farrah instantly covered her head with the sleeping bag, annoyed. "Not so loud."

"Sorry," I apologized quietly. I found there was a fine line between thinking my own thoughts and using telepathy. Practice was needed in order to not mix the two up.

She groaned, "mix what up?"

So that won't happen.

I opened my eyes to see Farrah removing the covers before sitting up, disturbing Linx.

"Five more minutes," the Pokémon suggested, struggling to go back asleep.

Farrah rubbed her eyes and searched around the room, only to find me staring into her blue eyes, across from her. "Lucario...who said that?" she asked, confused.

Closing my eyes and replied with a soft thought. "I did."

I reopened my eyes to see her shocked expression, her mouth agape. She was speechless and amazed; her body gestures made that very clear. "Y-y-you talked!" she stuttered, point a finger in my direction.

Well, I am human after all; _was_ human. Why wouldn't I know how to speak.

Farrah held her head like she was hallucinating. "How? Why? You aren't human!"

I sighed. I definitely have to control what I transmit. "Farrah, calm down and I will expl-"

"How do you know my name?"

She's really freaking out now.

"I'm not freaking out! You're the one who's not making any sense."

Damn it!

I stood up and didn't notice Linx observing our scene until now, looking scared.

"I overheard Linx saying your name. As for me, I'm new to all of this; of what happened to me, I mean. Nobody ever gave me answers. Since yesterday I - would you stop holding your head and listen to me?"

She gripped her hear a little tighter, clearly not believing anything at the moment. "This isn't real...Pokémon can't talk...and you say you're human. It's not possible."

I was getting ever more frustrated. My situation is complex and I don't blame her for not understanding. "It's understandable that you don't believe me." Both human and Pokémon remained silent. "You're in shock and confused...It'll be best if I leave you be."

After quickly picking my bag up, I headed for the low exit. Surprisingly the rock that served as a door shifted aside before reaching it, revealing the cloudless morning scenery.

I exited the secret base and stood up straight, inhaling fresh air and did a quick scan for trainers. The morning breeze ruffled my fur, feeling cool and relaxing.

Newbark was still a ways away, and I still need to find a way to heal my-

"Wait!"

Farrah quickly appeared from the hiding spot and stood in front of me, wearing a worried expression. "Please don't go...I'm sorry. It was just...hard to take in. I'm still not sure if I believe that you're human. But you can talk...in my head."

I looked back, still unsure of my travel decisions. "Yes. I learned telepathy just a while ago. Sorry if I startled you, but I needed to make sure it worked." She was about to speak but I intervened, "You deserve an explanation, but it has to wait. I need to get my Pokémon to the Pokémon centre for care. It's been too long since I let them out and I'm worried of their reaction since...I'm not myself anymore."

Farrah took a step closer, holding one hand near her chest. "Then let me take them." I looked at her, surprised at the offer. "You can explain afterwards. It's the least I could do after you protected me."

I smiled lightly, admiring her kindness. "Alright, here," I held out a paw which my bag hung from and she took it. "All five of my Pokémon are in the corner pocket."

With the bag secured to her back, Farrah called out her espeon, who lazily returned to her trainer's side, heading in the city's direction but stopped and looked back when she noticed I did not follow.

"Aren't you coming?"

I shook my head in response. "No. I would only attract attention. lucario are rare in Johto, and I don't want to meet any more trainers."

"Oh. How do I find you again?"

"I'll stick around here and wait."

Disappointment came across her face even though she tried to hide it. "Ok. I won't be long," she turned and left, with Linx giving me strange looks before following.

I shrugged it off and climbed to the top of the hill, shortly off the beachside. A few small trees grew at the hill's highest point where I sat and leaned against one of them, gazing into the lake scenery. The sun had traveled a quarter of the way though the sky where few clouds blocked its light. Flocks of pidgey and the likes soared across the sky while various other native Pokémon played, swam, and slept near the water's edge. The vast ocean could be seen straight ahead while land claimed both the left and right directions. It was truly amazing.


	4. Chapter 4

Time progressed while I sat in the shade with eyes closed and body relaxed. I used the free time to familiarize myself with aura and practice it, only to discover a trend: The more practice I get in, the further out I can see. I think I waited for an hour or two before sensing Farrah's aura signature traveling in my direction.

To my great relief, the soreness that haunted my body since...it happened, wore off. Except my right shoulder when I move it a certain way, only a slight sting of pain though.

The first things I noticed were her clothes and feelings. She now wore a white t-shirt covered by a black vest, dark blue jeans, the same hiking boots and a light backpack of her own. Her short brown hair was fixed up, resembling vertical waves on both sides and back. The most notable feature was how she felt at that moment. She radiated guilty feelings mixed with slight excitement and fear.

The bruises and cuts she had from the other night were neatly wrapped with bandages; a couple on her arm and legs.

I opened my eyes when she approached and stood to gaze up to the tall figure before me. How I miss being tall. Even though I'm on my toes, she still towers over me.

She gave a sweet smile. I couldn't help but wonder what caused her negative feelings.

"The nurse took care of your Pokémon," she said, handing me the bag. "But she said that they didn't want to cooperate without their trainer. The nurse had to keep them inside the Pokéballs most of the time."

My gaze fell to my bag hanging from my paw. I felt nervous and scared. When's the right time to show myself to them?

"Thank you Farrah," I said momentarily, nodding. She kept her eyes on my own, like I was never seen clearly before.

We locked eyes for a few seconds before I turned and looked away uncomfortably. "That person from the other night," Farrah examined the ground instantly. "That was your father...right?" I softly asked.

"...Yeah."

"Why di-"

"Can I go with you?" she blurted out, making me go wide eyed in surprise. "I don't know where you're off to, but there's nothing for me here anymore." Her eyes were fixed towards the lively city in the distance and her voice hinted past hardships.

I didn't have any problem with a companion, but I couldn't shake the feeling of future struggles for myself alone; struggles revolving around my situation. In the end, I smiled and nodded.

For the second time, she closed the distance and pulled me into a tight hug, burrowing her face in my shoulder. It was like I was the only one around for her. I recalled a situation before where it felt like nobody was around to help me release feelings that built up inside. I'm guessing Farrah was going through what I did, probably worse.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Her hug was short lived when she released and dug through her bag. "I want you to have something."

I stood and watched as she pulled out a dark coloured piece of fabric and held it up. "You said trainers tried to capture you, this is so that won't happen anymore."

"What is it?" I mentally asked.

"It's a scarf. People will believe that you belong to me."

I cautiously switched my gaze back to her. "Do I belong to you?"

Farrah waved a hand frantically. "No-no, you don't. It's just that we can pass by towns and cities without people trying to capture you."

Reassured, I grinned. "Alright, that's a good idea." She handed me the scarf and I took in...

...The colour.

"It's purple."

Farrah frowned. "It's violet. Sorry but that's the only one I had."

"I'm not one for these kinds of colours," I complained.

She snatched the scarf from my hold and started to tie it around my neck. "Oh don't be a baby."

I sighed, but smiled inwardly. Farrah was starting to open up even if it's only a little. Yesterday she seemed so shy and hurt, now she's playful and happy despite her hidden emotions.

"There, done."

The scarf actually didn't look too bad with my fur colours. Stylish, I guess.

Farrah paced back a bit and looked me over. "You look pretty good. It suits you."

"As long as it works," I hoped. "We should get going."

Newbark was about a day's walk from here, but that's if no distractions arise. To make things worse, rain clouds intimidated us from the south along with light sounds of rumbling. It would only be a matter of time before it catches us.

"Alright," was the confusing response she gave before automatically following; like she didn't care where the destination, just not Cherrygrove.

How depressing.

The path around the city was very quiet and peaceful. My guess would be that because of the coming rain, people stayed indoors. Only a handful of people walked the trail as well, casting annoying stares in my direction while some whispered to their partner.

"I've never seen that Pokémon before."

"It looks weird."

"That girl is lucky."

"I wish I had that kind of scarf."

"I bet my Pokémon can squash that tiny thing."

I growled in annoyance toward the person who made that last comment, making the impression of an attack and it worked. The guy backed off, shocked and panicked, as Farrah pulled my scarf forcing me to fall back into place while I choked a bit.

"C'mon. We don't want to attract attention," she whispered, pulling me along.

The path of Route 29 looked almost exactly the way I remembered it. Flame was a small cyndaquil last time I walked this path and even now she's still young; it's only been a year. And the last time I spoke with my mother was when I earned my final eighth badge, barely two weeks ago. It's safe to say she's worried by now.

Farrah waited till the area was deserted before breaking our long silence, crossing her arms in an attempt to keep warm from the wind.

"Lucario...can you explain why you said you're human? I mean, I'm having troubles believing it."

I examined her expressions before answering. She didn't make eye contact and kept her gaze toward the ground, clearly confused and deep in thought.

The night remained stuck in my mind, almost to the point where I could easily remember what I experienced. "It happened all so quickly, I don't even know any details as to who did this or why."

She switched her gaze towards me with a look of interest. "When did that happen?"

"Just a couple days ago on Route 30. Cherrygrove was still quite far, so I decided to camp out for the night. The moment I dozed off, a high speed attack caught me off guard and I blacked out. I awoke feeling different along with intense pain. It was when I checked my arm that I found myself in a different form; one of a lucario. Nobody was in the area when I woke up. I felt confused and scared. Everything felt new, having to relearn basic movements and such. A couple trainers passed by and spotted me shortly after. Those two mindlessly attacked, forcing me to sprint away in a weak state. It was when I stopped near the beach to find those two had stopped following me.

"The tree you saw me grab my bag from? That's where I hid while resting my body. That's where I discovered you."

Farrah was deep in thought again, taking it all in.

"If you want proof, my Pokédex is registered in my name," I mentally said a while later.

"Your name," she started. "What is it?"

"Cyan."

Farrah suddenly lightened the mood by smiling brightly. "Well it's very nice to meet you Cyan the lucario. I'm Farrah, but you already knew that," she happily stated.

I grinned at her playfulness, the side not shown too often since we met.

"So how does it feel to be a Pokémon?"

Most of the obvious differences came to mind instantly like appearance, movements, and senses. "Sadly, I'm a lot shorter." Farrah giggled in response. "And having fur is really interesting, but I like it; keeps me warm." I thought for a moment before continuing, "but the big difference is the enhanced senses and abilities. I find my senses to be sharper and more sensitive than before. This form is very similar to the human body in terms of functionality, it's just hard to get used to." I directed our attention to my feet, pointing while we continued down the path. "Like walking. It's actually easier walking on my toes than the whole foot."

Amazement overtook her expression as she locked her eyes on my whole form. "Wow," she exclaimed and paused. "It's decided! lucario is now my second most favorite Pokémon!"

I laughed light-heartedly, "only the second? I'm guessing espeon is your first?" She nodded, confirming my guess. "Where's Linx anyway?"

"Oh, she's in her Pokéball. She has the attitude of a princess and doesn't like long walks...or rain." Farrah held up her hand and looked toward the sky.

I too felt tiny droplets of water falling from the mean looking clouds above. The whole sky was now engulfed with low, dark grey rain clouds. It could be a lightning storm but I couldn't tell for sure.

Someone once told me that Pokémon are more in tune with nature; I never doubted that statement but I couldn't say the same for myself. Pokémon always knew coming changes in nature and when I found them leaving the area or taking shelter, I knew a large storm was approaching us.

The rain started off with small drops which turned heavier by the minute. Soon it became so harsh that visibility became poor from the heavy downpour and the trail had many deep puddles every few steps. We ran down the route searching around for any kind of shelter but found none. I was completely soaked while Farrah kept mostly dry with the help of my rain jacket because hers wasn't doing its job properly.

The sky turned dark very quickly and the wind worked along with rain to throw us off balance every now and then. I felt a little heavier and my body temperature lowered from the cold rain and high winds. The rain hit us without mercy, beating on both of us with never ending heavy drops that made tree shelters useless. Even though I never saw lightning, loud rumbling alerted us to it.

To both our reliefs, we spotted a small building in the distance which I recognized it to be the entrance leading to Route 46. We wasted no time racing to the door as fast as Farrah could run, only tripping a few times.

The building was quite empty when we entered, save for a couple trainers sitting on a bench and a guard behind a desk who looked to fall asleep at any moment. The small structure was laid out on one level with two exits, each one placed on both ends of a short hallway.

I couldn't stop shivering from the cold accelerated by my drenched fur, even the scarf soaked in a lot of rain. When Farrah noticed my condition, she rushed over and wrapped me with my jacket as well as a towel she pulled from her bag. Fur may keep me warm in dry weather but definitely not in rain.

We sat on an empty bench near the door we entered from, observing the abnormal storm through a large window. The trees swayed easily from strong winds and the rain caused streams of water throughout the ground. The last time I witnessed a storm this vicious was two years ago.

My thoughts were interrupted when Farrah spoke up, "so, where are we heading? Newbark?"

"Yes," I confirmed. "I was on my way to see my family again before I turned into a Pokémon, and I still plan to."

"But...what will they think, now that you're a lucario?"

I frowned at the thought of confrontation. "I'm not sure," my gaze fell to the floor. "I'm starting to think that meeting them isn't a good idea anymore. I...just like to see them again, even if it's not face to face."

Farrah turned silent for a moment, blankly staring out the window. "...Sounds like you have a loving family. You should never waste an opportunity like that, even if things changed."

Now I felt guilty bringing up my planned visit after knowing what her father did.

She looked at me with a reassuring smile. "I could help you talk to them if you'd like."

I stayed silent, my decision changing only the slightest.

After hours of waiting, the storm never ceased to stop; if anything, it got worse and it didn't look to calm anytime soon. We might be stuck here for the time being.

"What's your family like?" Farrah asked me by surprise.

All the memories came pouring into my mind of good and bad times. I smiled, finding the best way to describe them. "Well, my mother is an amazing person. She's well educated and really knows how to make delicious meals." Farrah giggled. "Then there's my little sister."

"You have a sister?"

I nodded. "Yeah, she must be seven by now."

Farrah tilted her head curiously. "What's her name?"

"Dawn," I replied. "She's really cute and tall for her age. I like how she helps others even though the situation may have negative consequences, which worries me sometimes."

"Awww. I love her already...Wish I had a brother or a sister."

"You're an only child?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Did y-"

"What about your dad?" Farrah interrupted me, trying to avoid my question.

I sighed and gazed out the window again. "He lives in Hoenn. Shortly after Dawn was born, both my mother and father had problems then eventually separated, but don't get me wrong, he loves both Dawn and I to no end. He pays our travel fees in order to visit him, but we only see him like three times a year."

"Oh...well at least you get to still visit him."

"Yeah, I'm thankful for that."

I heard footsteps approaching us and I looked behind us to find the same sleepy guard looking at us with a confused expression. "Excuse me miss. Sorry to interrupt but I have to close down the building for the day."

Didn't even acknowledge me.

Farrah stood up in surprise. "What? Why? You expect us to go out in that storm?"

The guard's expression saddened, "my apologies but I was ordered to close up and go assist with a situation."

"What situation?" Farrah asked.

He shook his head. "I'm not sure, but they need all local forces to help until more arrive. I'm closing up in five minutes, please excuse me," he said before walking back to his desk.

Farrah looked down at me, "what do you think that was about?"

I shrugged and stood up. "I don't know, but it sounds dangerous."

"Should we help?"

I stayed silent momentarily before mentally responding, "I would if I was still a trainer and human...No, I'm sure the authorities can handle it. We should rush back to my place."

She looked reluctant but agreed. "Ok."

We picked up our things and readied ourselves, heading for the door. The wind and heavy rain greeted us when we opened it.

"Let's get there quick," Farrah said when she looked down at me. I nodded and we sprinted out into the violent storm, headed to my hometown.


	5. Chapter 5

This storm just wouldn't stop at all. I could see the outskirts of my home town in the distance and yet, it felt so far away.

I ran alongside Farrah who was breathing very heavily and slowed down significantly.

"We're almost there. Just a little further," I mentally encouraged her.

We both had to shield our eyes from the violent rain and wind which made visibility poor.

Farrah screamed out suddenly as she tripped and fell to a mixture of gravel and mud. I quickly stopped and rushed back to help her up but as soon as she put weight on her left foot, she yelled out in pain before collapsing, holding onto me for support.

"What's wrong?"

"My ankle..." she said between breaths, holding her leg. "I think I sprained it."

"Alright, um..." I searched ahead for a nearby shelter and remembered a small inn just up ahead. That would be the ideal place to go since it'll give me time to think. "I know a place that's close. Here, I'll carry you."

To my surprise, I picked her up with ease, one arm supporting her back and the other under her knees. She wrapped one arm around my neck for balance while I carefully ran the rest of the way.

Newbark Town really was a small town but it's expanded a little in my absence. A few new houses and a couple new stores occupied the free space that once was there; but still, a small town.

The inn was easy to find since I remembered exactly where it was placed and I found it hasn't changed much in terms of decoration when I got closer. I rushed to the two story building which was more like a 'bed and breakfast' sort of place instead of an inn, appearing modernized like the rest of the town.

Farrah assisted with the door while in my arms and I sidestepped inside to be greeted by a warm, comforting interior. I slowly lowered the injured girl onto her good foot while she leaned up against the wall for support while I shut the door behind us.

A lady poked her head from around the corner and rushed to greet us. "Why hello dears. Oh my, you both are soaking wet." The lady wore thin glasses and a simple light-brown dress with a white apron tied around it. She looked to be around 45 years old and she wasn't as tall as Farrah; I guess a little taller than me, to my disappointment. She noticed Farrah up against the wall with one leg lifted above the floor. "Miss? Is something wrong?" she asked, concerned.

Farrah nodded in pain, "yeah, I sprained my ankle on the way here."

The nice lady rushed to Farrah's side. "Oh, well let's get upstairs right away. A nice bath will get you clean and it'll help while I fix up that ankle of yours." She took our jackets and hung them up on the wall before helping my friend. "May I get your name?"

"I'm Farrah, and this," she mention toward me, "is Lucario."

Thankfully she didn't use my name, even though the lady probably wouldn't have known who I really was.

"Nice to meet you both," she replied kindly. "I'm Janet, the owner of this inn."

I was about to help Janet with Farrah when they moved toward the staircase but the owner stopped me when I made a step.

"Lucario," Janet started. "Can you stay on the mat? I'll be right back with some towels to dry you up after I take Farrah upstairs."

I took a step back and watched as they carefully climbed to the second floor, trying my best not to shiver from being soaked. After ringing out my scarf, I watched the rain pour heavily down onto the town through a small window. My home was barely visible from this far but I could still make it out.

I sighed, still unsure about the visit.

Janet descended back down the stairs a while later and true to her word, held a couple towels in hand. "Usually I have Pokémon in their Pokéball when they stay here but Farrah told me you don't like yours."

Smart move Farrah. I nodded, going along with whatever my friend told the owner.

"I've never seen a Pokémon such as yourself before. You're a fascinating one," she said, drying my fur. "With nice coloured fur...and you are very quiet."

I nodded and smiled when we made eye contact.

"Not that it's bad, you know," she added optimistically, drying my feet before standing straight. "Done. While Farrah takes her bath, you can wait in the living room while I fix you both up something to eat...Is this Farrah's?" Janet pointed to my bag with confusion.

I sighed and nodded in response.

"May I take your scarf and the bag? I'll have them dried then placed in Farrah's room."

Loosening both the items, I handed them to the lady who took them with a 'thank you'.

Janet headed around a corner for a moment before walking down the hallway towards the kitchen while I took to the living room. Moving my tail out of the way, I sat on a small couch placed near a window, noticing that my fur was still damp. Many pictures of Janet in her younger years along with beautiful paintings were placed all over the walls and some on a couple end-tables. A larger couch and a rocking chair were placed side by side with a coffee table connecting the two, all being opposite to my position. And a small TV was placed in a corner, which played soft melodies.

The sky slowly turned dark indicating a more evening feel while it rumbled loudly from the ongoing storm. Not a single person dared to go outside in this weather, not even water Pokemon. In the distance, lights remained on at my house but I couldn't see any movement near the windows.

I sighed. It was just so frustrating living without answers. People won't believe that I once was different. I'm not even sure that Farrah fully believes me. Maybe she thinks I'm crazy, using me as an excuse to get away from her past life in the city.

Everything was so frustrating. I switched my position to get a better view outside, crossing my arms before resting my head atop, blankly staring at the pounding rain. After mindlessly scanning the outside environment a few times, I noticed a figure off in the distance which instantly stole my interest. A more focused look revealed its position behind a tree, beyond the town. At first, I figured it was a Pokémon taking refuge from the harsh storm but when I examined further, all I could make out was a blue blur. It looked...to be watching me. Upon inching closer to the window, I was alerted when the figure fled toward the lakeside's direction with impressive speed.

Whatever that was...it knew something.

Just after I jumped off the couch in a hurry, I heard Farrah's voice along with another girl's voice descending down the stairs.

"So where are you going after this?"

"I'm not sure. Think I'll just travel around as a trainer."

"How many-"

"Cyan? Where are you going?" Farrah yelled out worriedly.

That was all I heard as I made for the door then to the familiar heavy feeling of the outside rain. That _thing_ was headed for the lake. It was possible that being possessed answers I needed for my situation.

I had to know.

I caught a glimpse of the blue figure for a split second as it ran deeper into the woods, definitely headed for the lake.

"Why are you RUNNING!" I mentally called out in anger to no one in particular, sprinting as fast as my feet could carry me through the harsh conditions of the cold winds and rain. The ground made a splash with every step and the wind felt like it was against me as a few strong gusts forced me easily to the ground on some occasions.

My newly acquired aura vision helped me instantly the moment I used it. Even with the short radius, I still managed to sense a feint aura trail that lead to the same destination as my target; the lake. The aura vision helped more in just one way as well; I could see _everything_ with it. Every bump, hole, tree, rock, and the likes I easily avoided thanks to that ability.

I was panting heavily when I reached the water's edge, completely wet and cold again. To my confusion, the aura trail continued on the water's surface where I couldn't follow. When I opened my eyes to the extremely low visibility of the rain, I noticed that same blur heading south,

fleeing _on_ the surface of water.

The rain continued to distort my vision as it got into my eyes. I had keep shielding them in order to barely see that unknown figure.

Again, a rush of strong wind pushed me with such force toward the trees as I lost my footing and tumbled harshly to the ground. I was far from giving though. Using all fours, I quickly returned to my feet and continued sprinting after it.

"Who are you?" I shouted mentally in the general direction of the unknown being. "I need answers!" The trees to my right passed quickly as I sprinted by, keeping my full concentration on the being.

...

Only the sound of the rain beating on the water's surface and the wind rushing through complex trees could be heard.

...

That unknown blur was gaining distance from me, only that much I could see.

...

My heart raced along with my breathing. Just a moment ago, I was mostly dry and warm, now I'm once again soaked and covered in mud; extremely cold with only the motivation for answers keeping me warm as I ran faster, against my limits.

...

I went wide eyed when I felt another's presence in my mind, intruding my thoughts. It was then that I truly felt exposed and scared.

...

...

...

"In time..."

...

"When you are truly ready."

That voice. It was a calming, deep male voice which made me believe that he never deceived anyone. Judging from his voice, I could tell that he held great knowledge and power.

Those few seconds that felt like hours, I was still sprinting through the harsh weather. It felt like the other presence altered my mind in some way before leaving me to my own thoughts. At that instant, I lost all control of my body as I rolled, flipped, and crashed painfully to the ground with all my speed before finally coming to a stop on my back.

I watched the rain beat mercilessly from the dark clouds above onto my whole body with what few seconds I had, before everything turned black.


	6. Chapter 6

I slowly strolled through the damp forest back to Newbark, thinking along the way about that unknown being and what it meant. My fur was pretty much still wet, but I resisted the cold shivers and solely concentrated on the mystery. The rain had stopped and the clouds were higher at this time. The light of day returned, filtered through the dense clouds which gave off a depressing feel.

I sighed, feeling the same as the weather. Now that I think about it, I'm not even sure how long I was out. Luckily nobody came by the beach I woke up on.

_In time._

When is the right time? How long am I forced to wait for answers?

I clawed my paw in frustration while I blankly stared at the passing ground.

Who are you...

A weird sensation in my paw caught my attention, and when I stopped to look down at it, I saw a small dark-blue glow that dissipated as I relaxed. Fascinating. That must be aura the Pokédex mentioned; life energy. I concentrated to familiarize with that same feeling moments ago, but after many failed attempts, the glow wouldn't return. I even tried to force it by tightly gripping my paw again but nothing happened.

Some forest Pokémon revealed themselves since the wicked storm passed by and I was even lucky enough to see a swellow soaring in a pattern high above me. I ignored the rare sight and set a mental note aside for aura training when I get back...and when it's a little nicer outside.

After taking a couple minutes to relax my mind and body, I solely concentrated on the here and now. I found a few cuts and bruises that I didn't notice earlier on my knee and arms, which bothered me only the slightest but stung to the touch.

It was weird. I seemed to have ran further from Newbark than I remember. There's no way I can be lost...

And with an empty stomach too.

Five more minutes of walking, I came across a small stream that I never found before I left on my journey. The area was surrounded by trees, numerous small stones, and grass covered by dirt and mud.

As much as I don't want to admit it, I'm lost, with no gear and most of all no food.

I took a rest on a large rock near the water stream, staring at my reflection for the first time in this form. The ears were interesting to fiddle around with since they were placed on top of my head instead of the sides. They seemed to instinctively twitch on their own accord whenever I heard a sudden sound or itched one. Every feature I saw on myself looked almost the same as the picture my sister copied from.

Kneeling down closer to the water, I examined my eyes with the most interest. I swear I haven't seen anything more intimidating than the crimson, feline-looking eyes that I now had.

Maybe that's why Farrah was a little distant that one night.

The clouds rumbled like they have before, only lighter this time and further away. I sighed, sitting back on the rock just to blankly play at my forearm spike.

Great, more rain.

It's nice having fur, but only in some circumstances; a rain storm was not one of them even though I enjoy this kind of weather instead of hot, sunny days. I'd take a cold winter's day over a boiling hot day anytime.

More rumbling in the distance motivated me to keep finding my way back home after relaxing fifteen minutes or so. Before sitting up though, I heard...wind? No, it sounded more like something was slicing through the air with ease. I found the answer a few seconds later when I looked toward the sky and quickly dropped to the ground in time from a high speed air attack that nearly hit me.

I rushed to get back on my two feet and looked to the sky for my attacker. It was a swellow. Probably that same swellow but I wasn't sure. The bird Pokémon circled around while I turned and ran for the cover of trees, but I didn't have enough time to get there before it hit me square in the back with high speed, sending me face first into the dirt and to a halt.

Just after I pushed myself up, the swellow landed harshly on my back which forced me onto the ground again and it dug its talons in my shoulders, making me growl in pain. Every time I struggled, it would claw deeper into my shoulders.

"Relax," she said firmly with a light voice.

I growled again but this time in anger. "Why are you attacking me?" I mentally shouted at her. "What do you want?"

The swellow's emotions changed the instant I communicated with her, turning from confidence and calm to surprised and shocked.

"Just...stay put until my trainer gets here," she told me.

I huffed, "like I'm going anywhere..." She gripped a little tighter in response. "Owwww! That hurts!"

I couldn't see the swellow from my vertical view, only the stream of water and a whole lot of trees that made up the forest. The swellow loosened but kept her grip secure as a few silent minutes passed us by before I heard something approaching from the side I couldn't see from.

"Nice job Serine. You found him."

That female voice sounded familiar but I couldn't remember where I heard it before. If only this abusive bird would get off me, then I could see her.

"At least Farrah will finally stop worrying."

Never mind. I think that's the girl who was chatting with Farrah before I left them.

The swellow, named Serine, spoke up with a relieved voice, "yeah, and I can finally get some rest after searching for two days straight."

Wait. I was unconscious for two days?

The girl walked around, knelt down in front of my sight, and sighed. "You know we pretty much looked everywhere for you," she said, trying to sound exhausted. This girl looked about the same age as Farrah, maybe a little younger. She had long black hair which was tight up into a ponytail and wore a white baseball cap, grey baggy-looking shorts, and a white rain jacket.

"And why exactly are _you_ looking for me," I asked her in frustration.

The girl fell back the instant she heard my telepathy, more shocked than her swellow. She was speechless for a moment, collecting her thoughts. "...Farrah never said anything about...whatever you just did," she said quickly, standing up.

"Can you get your bird off of me now?"

The swellow pinched me harder again and moved her head closer to my ears, "my name is Serine!"

"You can let him go now Serine," the girl ordered. Serine hesitantly got off my back but not before giving me another annoying pinch. Clearly she didn't like me.

I got to my feet and tried my best to dust myself off before rubbing my new injuries. "About time. Now, which way is Newbark?"

"Hold on," she said shaking her head with arms crossed. "Since you can talk, I want to ask you a few questions. First off, why did you run away? Is Farrah a bad trainer or something?"

I turned my back on both of them and gazed past the trees in hope of catching a sight of a path back to Newbark before replying. "That's none of your business."

"So that's it!" she blurted out.

"If that was the case, then tell me why I'm trying to get back?" I retorted, looking back with one eye.

She was silent for a moment, "wait, back to Farrah or back to Newbark?"

"Is there a difference?" I sighed. "I'm guessing she asked you to look for me," I said more than asked.

"Yeah...she wouldn't stop bugging me to help her. But, I was nice enough lend a helping hand."

This girl was starting to annoy me. "So which direction is Newbark?" I coldly asked her, turning around to fully face the duo.

She lazily pointed to the north-east, "relax. It's just that way, but you have to answer the rest of my - hey!"

As soon as she indicated the general direction back to town, I sprinted off without warning, away from her and the swellow. It didn't take me long to spot a familiar area that lead toward my destination. My speed was no match for that girl, since she was nowhere in sight after I left. I was so hungry along the way that I felt like collapsing at some points. I had barely any energy left to keep running, but I was instantly relieved to see the town after about five more minutes of sprinting.

Some people were walking about, going visiting, shopping, and whatnot. I stuck to the trees to hide myself while I ran towards the inn. Once I reached the back of the building, I leaned up against the wall while I tried to catch my breath.

There's no way I could run anymore. It's tough trying to go more than two days without food and water.

When I rounded the corner, I found Farrah sitting on the door steps while she rested her head on her hands, blankly gazing straight in the distance at the passing people and Pokémon. Surprising, Linx was curled up by her side sleeping. Farrah gasped and got to her feet instantly when she caught sight of me as I walked closer to the entrance.

"Cyan," she called out excitedly, looking relieved, "you're back." She did a quick scan of the area as well, probably for that girl who found me in the forest.

"Yeah, sor-"

The espeon rushed to her trainer's side, interrupting me. "You are the most stubborn Pokémon I've ever met! You know Farrah has been worried sick about you! There better be a good reason why you left her like that!"

"Linx," Farrah started suddenly. "It's okay."

There was no lie in Linx's statement. It was clear that Farrah was worried about me; I felt it in her emotions even though she tried keeping them hidden.

Linx huffed with her head held high and strolled over to her original spot to lie back down.

I lowered my head, thinking of the best way to overcome this situation without going into any detail about that mysterious day. Maybe it's best that I kept it secret for now until I find out what I need to know.

"I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly. I...just needed to be alone."

A warming smile came across her face, "let's go inside," she said, turning and walked to the door before waiting for me. "Janet will be glad you're back and you freshen up too."

Both Farrah and an angry glaring Linx stepped inside the building while I stood there, deep in my thoughts. Keeping secrets from people around me was something I was good at but I never liked doing. I'd never involve someone into a situation that they've nothing to do with, especially if that situation contains negative consequences.

I went wide eyed when I felt slight tugging on the end of my tail and when I looked behind my shoulder, my heart skipped a beat the moment I saw my little sister eyeing my tail then my whole form with extreme happiness.

"Mom, look! A real lucario! I'm really seeing a real lucario!"

The moment I heard the word 'mom', I searched around that instant and found none other than her walking up to Dawn with an annoyed expression while other people glanced curious looks our way.

"I told you lots of times to not bother Pokémon!"

"But it's my favorite," she whined, gazing up at her.

My mother reached the two of us as Dawn released my tail and I turned around to fully face both of them. "It doesn't matter!" she scolded before looking at me with an apologetic expression. "Sorry, she doesn't know when to stop herself."

Just seeing both of them brings a smile to my face; I've missed them. My mother looked like she hasn't aged a bit while my sister grew taller than the last time I seen her. Dawn's hair was a little longer and she surprisingly wore the casual jeans and sweater instead of those dresses she liked wearing all the time; although it was quite cold outside to be wearing light clothing anyway.

I lowered to her height, which was not that far off, and brought my head closer to my sister's. With a big smile on her face, she gladly started petting the top of my head.

"See mom? He likes me!"

To my enjoyment, she scratched around my ears and my forehead before eventually grabbing a hold of my paw and met my mother's gaze.

"Can we keep him?" she asked with those familiar puppy eyes.

My mother sighed. "Dawn, we don't know who's lucario that is. His trainer is probably around here."

"Awwww...maybe he doesn't have one."

As much as I wanted to tell them, I couldn't. I can't. Not yet.

"Dawn...Your brother will catch you one."

All my feelings turned to sadness when I heard that.

"But when is he coming back?"

"Soon. He said he would come home before the Pokémon league."

There was barely any feeling of hope radiating from my sister, just disappointment and loneliness. I stood to my full height while Dawn looked back up at me with those emotions clearly written on her face, still holding onto my paw with both her hands.

"Can you come visit me?"

"Dawn..."

"Please mom?"

I rubbed her lightly on the head, smiling at her before nodding my reply. Everything worked out momentarily this time. I didn't know what to think of it since I _am _what she really wanted me to get her and I'm visiting them at the same time. The only disappointing thing was that they don't know who I really am.

She made a small happy sound and eyed my mother again. "Even Lucario wants to visit me!"

The front door creaked open indicating someone entering or leaving, making my ears point upwards. It was Farrah who stood halfway in the door, examining the three of us.

"Excuse me," my mother called out. "Is this your Lucario?"

Farrah tilted her head, "huh? Oh! Yes, I-I mean no. I'm keeping him for a friend," she said quickly, looking very shy. "Just for a while."

"Can he visit me?" my sister suddenly interrupted in a high hoped voice.

My friend stayed silent, gazing towards me until I reached out to her mind. "Tell them I will visit tomorrow. Sometime in the afternoon."

Her gaze met my sister's, "okay. We will stop by tomorrow. Around noon, maybe? If...that's alright with your mother," she said, looking to my mother who smiled and agreed.

Finally I could go back home to the familiarity and comfort I always loved. There's no place like home.

Dawn tugged on my arm, forcing my attention onto her. "Look Lucario!" She pointed in the distance, roughly to our house near one end of town. "That's my house with the big tree in front! I'll make a sign when I get home so you won't get lost."

I smiled but laughed inwardly. How I missed being around my family after traveling around for so long, especially Dawn. Being near my sister almost made me forget I'm different.

Almost.

We said our goodbyes after a short while and they both left, heading back to the house. Dawn ran the rest of the way in excitement for her new project while my mother slowly followed, watching her carefully and happily.

"Who was that?" Farrah asked as we entered the inn.

"That's my sister and mother."

"Really? Your sister is so cute!"

I smiled, "yeah, can't wait to visit them tomorrow."

"Can I visit them too? I can just tell them that I'm a friend of yours."

Both of us stopped on the floor mat, Farrah looking at me with hopeful eyes.

I grinned, "sure. You are my friend after all."

Pure happiness radiated from her after I said that. "Okay, thanks!" she said, smiling.

"Farrah, is that you? Who in the world are you talking to?" Janet appeared from the living room, instantly locking her eyes onto me. "Lucario! You came back, thank goodness...Umm, could you go get him cleaned Farrah?"

Wow, what a clean freak.

Farrah secretly gave me a light push with her arm while she had her attention on an unaware Janet. "Ok, I will."

"Thanks sweetie," she replied before heading around the corner and out of sight.

Farrah looked down at me, "be nice."

"What? She didn't hear me," I defended.

"It was rude."

"It's the truth."

"Well, you can use my room to get cleaned. It's room number 3. And try to get all the mud off your fur," she said with a sigh.

I made for the stairs while Farrah went back outside. "Whatever you say." What I wasn't aware of, is that I left dried up paw markings on the carpet stairs with every step upwards.

((((()))))

Late evening came around while I laid across a small sofa near a window of Farrah's dimmed lit room. The guest room felt quite comfortable like the rest of the building, but it was small. A dresser, bed, sofa, a couple small bedside tables, and some tourist pictures filled the room. I went downstairs only once to grab a few pieces of fruit and came back up after washing up in the shower. A few more guests occupied the living room while Farrah helped Janet clean the kitchen when I seen them.

Farrah never did ask about what happened to me while I was around her. I guess I didn't give her a chance to ask. And I never did see that girl from earlier or find out her name, but I sensed her aura when I heard the front door open and shut earlier. Such a nosy and talkative person that one.

Strong winds shook the trees back and forth in the night while night lamps lit the paths connecting the town. Nobody was out this time of night and most house lights were off.

_In time...when you are truly ready._

You better be right; whoever you are.


	7. Chapter 7

"Cyan..."

"He's _still_ sleeping?"

"Cyan, time to get up..."

My mind began piecing together everything around me, slowly making sense of my surroundings. I opened my eyes a little to the sight of brown fabric before yawning.

"I'll wake him up, watch."

I felt a sudden sharp pain in my tail that made me jump from my sideways position with a loud yelp as I tried yelling. After securing my tail close to my body, I focused my eyes on two figures in front of me which turned out to be Farrah and a mischievous-looking espeon.

"Owwww!" I mentally cried out to them, making my pain known while I rubbed the injured spot of my tail.

"Linx! Why'd you do that?" Farrah asked, looking down at her Pokémon.

"He wouldn't get up," she answered bluntly, head held high.

Farrah looked back at me with an apologetic expression, "sorry Cyan. I hope she didn't bite too hard."

I looked from my tail to Farrah. She had on those same clothes from the time we first entered Newbark, but clean, and she looked all freshened up. It was clear that she woke up earlier in the morning than me, even the bed was fixed neatly.

Grunting silently, I sat up properly on the couch I slept on and rubbed my eyes in an attempt to clear my vision. "That hurt."

Linx returned her sight to me, "can't believe how long you can sleep. It's already lunch and you're still really lazy."

With tired eyes, I looked up at both of them. "What time is it?"

"It's one-thirty in the afternoon," Farrah replied. "Thought I would wake you up so we can head over to see your family. They're probably expecting you soon."

I grunted again, "that's right."

"Oh, and Janet decided to let out all your Pokémon since they've been in their Pokéballs for a long time."

"What?"

"She and I are taking care of them," Farrah quickly explained. "I just told her I'm keeping them for a friend."

"...alright," I finally replied, relieved. Guess it's time to face them in this new form, but just not with the same identity. "Thank you."

She smiled, "no problem. Most of your Pokémon seem to enjoy my company, especially your pidgeot."

I didn't know what to think of encountering them, how it will go, what they will say. I would assume that at least one of my Pokémon will question my whereabouts, most likely Flame. What will happen if they don't hear a convincing answer?

"Cyan, are you alright?" Farrah asked, cutting me off from my thoughts and back to reality.

I nodded, "yeah."

The answer I gave went straight through her and I knew it; I felt it in her feelings. "Ok," she responded lightly, rising to her full height. "I'll be waiting in the backyard when you're ready. Come on Linx." Both trainer and Pokémon made for the door and disappeared from sight, leaving me in the dim, sun lit room.

The best place to keep my team is at my mother's; she will keep and care for them while I find the hidden mysteries to my situation. I plan on keeping my secret hidden from them until I'm forced to elaborate or plain out tell the truth. Before I leave the house today, I'll write her a note saying that I need to do a bit more traveling before I return as well as for her to care for my Pokémon, leaving behind everything except my bag. Yes, she will be angry and worried, but now is not the time for explanations.

Janet was scrubbing the stairs with all her might when I entered the hallway and just as she caught sight of me, I was examined head to toe by her detective-looking eyes. "Lucario...can you come here for a second?" she said more than asked. "I want to check something."

With uncertainty and confusion, I walked over to the stairs where she waited impatiently. Suddenly, she took hold of my right foot and gestured for me to lift it up. I used the railing for support while Janet checked my paw for her reasons.

I knew where this was going that instant. Oops.

Janet let go and stared at me with her arms at crossed. "It was you. You marked up my carpets."

I'm in trouble now.

"Luckily," she started, making my ears rise. "Farrah helped me clean almost every spot." She smiled and relaxed, returning to her normal mood. "Don't be sad Lucario, it's an accident right?"

I nodded quickly and she smiled. "Farrah's waiting for you," Janet gladly said and made way for me. "She's just in the back with the others. Go meet them!" Nodding again, I descended downstairs and found the door to the backyard, passing other eyeing guests.

The first thing that hit me was the heat. Surprisingly, the sun was clear from any cloud high above which only increased the heat, to my extreme discomfort; I don't like hot weather one bit. Everything the sun touched was brightly lit up with colour and the scenery truly was stunning as I gazed upon the wide, neatly summer decorated deck and the forested background.

Farrah sat on the edge of the deck with Pidgeot cuddled up against her affectionately while she examined his feathers. I hesitantly stepped forward and caught sight of most of my team. Vulpix and Linx were conversing off near the trees, Luxray was napping in the shade courtesy of an umbrella, and Gyarados was probably in his Pokéball for being too big, but I didn't see Flame anywhere which worried me.

"You're one cool looking Pokémon, Pidgeot," Farrah praised. "There, your feathers are now shiny and clean." Pidgeot ruffled his feathers in response, clearly showing off to a now giggling Farrah.

"I don't see Flame anywhere. Know where she is?" I asked Farrah who instantly turned to me and thought while Pidgeot instantly took a step away. I've known Pidgeot since he was a pidgey and one thing's for sure, he's scared easily, but not as much now thanks to my training.

"Flame? That's the typhlosion right?" I nodded. "I let her out earlier, but I haven't seen her since." Now I'm really worried. I did another quick scan around the area but unfortunately, she was nowhere to be seen.

I stepped onto the grass quickly while I continued looking in all directions. Farrah noticed and stood up, "don't see her?"

"No. Can you return all my Pokémon back to their Pokéballs? I think I know where she went."

"Umm, ok," she replied with confusion before searching through my bag for the spheres.

Without warning, I starting running toward my house. "I'll meet you at my place," I told her without waiting for a reply. Flame must have recognized the area and most likely left for my mother's house, probably believing that I'm there.

While I ran through the busy town, many people and Pokémon walking the paths eyed me with great interest. One young trainer, by the looks of it, attempted to follow me but never kept up; I think I seen a Pokéball in his hand as I rushed by. I even caught sight of that girl from the day before, visiting shops with Serine flying by her side, luckily they never saw me as they had their backs to me.

If my mother recognizes Flame, she will start wondering where I am and ultimately start freaking out if I'm not around by today. Not good.

The house came into clear sight but the front door was deserted; I didn't see Flame, my mother, or sister. I jumped the fence and ran toward the flower filled backyard, where I started hearing Dawn's familiar giggling. Once there, I stopped and let out a sigh of relief when I found Flame, who was excitedly happy to see Dawn by playing on the grass with her.

"No stop! That tickles!" Dawn laughed on the ground, barely trying to pry away Flame.

Flame rubbed her head against my sister with joy. "I'm glad to see you again Dawn! I really missed you," she cried out while Dawn continued to laugh, clearly not understanding her. Flame's great sense of smell caused her to suddenly lift her head up in surprise and searched in all directions until she found me, the only other being around.

I froze in place, not knowing what to do or what to expect until she got off of Dawn and sniffed around, her nose slowly leading her toward me.

"Lucario, you found my house without the sign!" Dawn yelled and rushed in my direction with a big smile on her face. "Well, I didn't finish it anyway." Flame looked quizzically at Dawn, exchanging looks between her and myself.

With no hesitation, Dawn latched herself onto me in an attempted bear hug as I returned it. "Hey Lucario, look!" she said, pointing to the confused typhlosion. "That's Flame, my brother's Pokémon."

My heart felt like it stopped. How did she know? Sure Dawn saw Flame after her final evolution but she always asked just to clarify that she was my Pokémon.

Dawn's face turned sad all of a sudden as she lowered her hand and looked to the ground. "But I don't know where he is." Flame too whined quietly near us about the matter. I knelt down and brought Dawn in for a hug, which she gladly accepted; her feelings turning positive again.

She smiled again and looked in my eyes, "I'll be right back. Need to tell my mom something." My sister released me and headed for the back door, disappearing inside. That left me and Flame, who walked up to me in her full height; even Flame was slightly taller than me. Why am I this short?

She secretly sniffed around before starting a conversation. "Hi, what's your name? I'm Flame," she asked with no shyness. This was most interesting: talking to my own Pokémon when before I couldn't fully understand what they were saying or what they meant.

"I'm Lucario," I simply replied, telepathically. From what I found, people as well as Pokémon, freeze up when they haven't experience telepathy before; this case wasn't different.

Flame was wide eyed, frozen in place for a moment or so. "What...was that?" she asked.

"Forgive me Flame, but this is the only way I know how to talk with others. Sorry if I scared you."

It seemed like she ignored my reply, leaning in closer towards me with eyes closed, smelling around. "You," she started, opening her eyes fully. "Have the same smell as _him_." I knew who she meant and it made me feel awful when I felt how much she missed me.

My mother and sister exited the house just then, both Flame and I looking towards them. "See? Flame is back!"

"Really?" my mother asked in disbelief before Flame quickly walked up to her a nudged her affectionately, making my mother pet her gladly in response. "Then...where's your brother?"

"I don't know," Dawn sadly replied.

My mother then eyed me, "oh, when did Lucario get here?"

"Just now."

"What about the girl? Did she come?"

That's right! I forgot to show Farrah where my house was...oh boy.

"I...don't think...so," Dawn said, looking around briefly before looking into our mother's eyes. "Umm, mom? Can I show Lucario our garden, please?"

Garden? I never knew we had some sort of garden away from the house.

My mother thought for awhile, keeping her gaze on me. "Under one condition: you will always stay with Lucario, ok?"

Dawn jumped with joy, "ok!"

I recognized my mother's request in her eyes and nodded; I knew what she wanted me to do. Satisfied, my mother went back into the house, looking like she needed to do something, with Flame closely in tow. I didn't have time to think about it when Dawn ran up to me and suddenly grabbed my paw. "It's not far Lucario, come on!" Dawn said, quickly pulling me along, deeper into the forest.

((((()))))

Along the way, Dawn explained all the activities she wants to do when she starts her own journey, while she lead me to the 'garden'. She told me things from training like myself in Pokémon battles, to becoming a Pokémon breeder. Actually, I can see her learning to become a Pokémon breeder than battling because of her protective nature. "And I want to meet lots of people to battle them," she continued. "And see new Pokémon. I really want to see more of my favorite Pokémon, like jigglypuff, vulpix, and marill, and pikachu, and furret, and a Lugia! I'm going train really hard to see them all!" she yelled out, dancing around.

She wants to see a legendary Pokémon? Now that surprised me. That's going to be nearly impossible to encounter, let alone catch sight of one. Wouldn't mind traveling around myself to find a lugia, actually.

All my day-dreaming was cut short when I focused my eyes above me. The forest was getting thicker as the light darkened but it still gave off enough to make the surrounding area look amazingly beautiful; full of trees, bushes, grass, flowers, and few Pokémon.

Dawn tired out and began slowly walking by my side, her feelings saddened. "It's too bad you have a trainer already, I wish you could stay with me. Once I get old enough, we can go on a journey together, but..." she stopped momentarily, looking to the ground. "Mom didn't let my brother go on a journey till he was sixteen...And I'm only seven."

I sighed. She didn't know how badly I wanted to talk to her, to tell her the truth.

Dawn inched closer to me while we walked and shyly held my paw in her small hand. I needed to lighten her mood so I quickly hoisted her up easily onto my shoulders for a piggy-back ride, which she gladly accepted and giggled. "It's just over there Lucario! Mush!" she happily yelled near my ear, pointing forward while I kept a secure hold and gladly ran onwards.


	8. Chapter 8

"Look Lucario!" Dawn yelled, leaning forward on my shoulders while she pointed in front of us. "There it is!"

The scenery in front of me took my breath away as I froze in place, taking all its beauty in. This place was like the one where I first met that strange girl and her swellow, but greatly decorated to make it twice as nice. A small, crystal clear stream of water cut through a small decorated part of the forest, where a stone bench-like seat was placed on one side while some flowers were carefully grown on both sides. A trail of stones started below my feet, leading up to the garden. To the side, a fire pit was formed up with a broken tree served as seats right beside it. I instantly knew where Flame's new favorite spot would be during the night, grinning at the thought of her curled up beside the fire pit. It took me a while to notice, but a small grassy field was over the water stream and beyond some trees. This place was truly magnificent.

I let Dawn down to the ground to her request and watched her playfully dance near the stone bench was, looking up to the sky before coming to a stop and returning her attention on me. "You like it Lucario? This is the garden I wanted to show you," she said with a smile, running up to me. "Me and my mom made this place pretty together for a birthday present to my big brother!"

My mouth hung wide open while I gazed passed Dawn and at _my_ present in front of me, not knowing what to think of all this.

Dawn slowly walked up to my side, turned around, and held my paw in her hand while we looked at the beautifully decorated garden in front of us. "I hope he comes back soon," she quietly spoke. "I want to be the one to show him his present on Tuesday."

I lowered my head and closed my eyes, holding my sister's hand a little tighter. My heart felt like it was going to burst from all the emotion built up inside by this sudden surprise.

"Lucario...you're crying. What's wrong?" she asked worryingly.

Without warning, I knelt down and pulled her in a hug, burying my face in her small shoulder while tears slowly flowed from my eyes. I began thinking of this form change as a curse now. I wanted to be with them freely, whenever I wanted without worry. In my mind, this garden represented the strength that my mother, my sister, and I have as a family. I never thought it would be painful to keep myself away from them when I changed; the thought never occurred.

I couldn't hold back anymore. It was Dawn that I wanted to keep my secret away from more than anyone else...but I believed she was the only one, who I _needed_ to talk to.

"...Dawn," I mentally started, feeling her shock and astonishment. "Your brother...loves you very much."

"You...can talk," she replied with a soft, shaky voice. I lifted myself from her shoulder and gazed into her wondrous light brown eyes. "You know my brother, Lucario?" she said, wiping a couple tears off my face which made me smile.

I nodded, "yes."

"Where is he?" she asked, looking around in hope of magically seeing my human form in the area.

I still kept my eyes on hers momentarily before taking one of her hands and holding it out in front of us using both of my paws, returning my gaze to her. "Dawn, he's me," I slowly told her.

Dawn was speechless for a few seconds before she moved a few strands of hair away from her eyes with her free hand, caused by the passing breeze, looking at my whole form again with detail. "But...you're a lucario. You're not my brother."

"Listen to my voice," even though I wasn't actually talking normally. "Do you recognize it?"

She tilted her head with a confused expression. "I guess so, but you're not even talking with your mouth."

I smiled, "it's called telepathy. I speak in your mind, which is the only way I can clearly speak to you."

"What if you're lying," she opposed. "How do I know if you're really my big brother Cyan?"

"Remember when I first left on my journey? It was raining out and you drew me a picture of a lucario, asking me to catch you one? I promised to get you one someday...then there's dad. Remember we went to Lilycove City in Hoenn for the holidays? He took us to the hot springs in the mountain."

Her face was of pure disbelief and amazement. "I-I...I remember," she stuttered, pointing a finger at me. "You're my brother? Cyan?" I nodded in response, forcing a tiny smile. "That is so cool! You're a lucario now! How'd you get like that? I wanna' know," she quickly attacked, one question after the other.

I held my paws to her shoulders, trying to restrain her excitement. "I don't know but...listen." Dawn obeyed my request and stood still, looking into my eyes with a smile. "You must never tell mom about me."

"Why Cyan?"

"You know how mom gets. She'll get really mad and worried, and I don't want that to happen," I argued.

"But brother, she _is_ worried about you. She said you never answer her calls anymore."

I lowered my head and sighed. "Just...please. Don't tell her unless I tell you to. Maybe tell her I needed to go somewhere before I get back." Dawn was silent for a moment, not answering like usual, but when I looked up at her she was frowning. "What's wrong?" I asked, removing my hold.

"You saw your birthday present already! It wasn't even a surprise," she huffed, crossing her arms.

"It _was_ a surprise," I quickly countered, trying to cheer her up. "I've never seen anything so amazing before," turning my gaze to the garden.

"Really?" she looked up at me with sparkling eyes.

I returned my gaze to my little sister, "yeah. Thank you so much Dawn. It's the best birthday gift ever."

A wide smile came across her face with satisfaction, thankfully. "You're welcome! Happy birthday brother!"

I ruffled her hair happily before turning serious. "Don't tell mom that I'm a lucario or that I can talk though, ok? She doesn't need that right now. Try and keep it a secret."

"Alright," she whined.

"Thank you." We stayed silent for a minute or two, looking at the garden as we stood at our full height. I should be getting back soon, Farrah is probably walking around town searching for me; hopefully in a good mood. Something to eat would be nice too; I'm starving.

"Cyan?" Dawn asked suddenly with a mischievous grin. "Who was that girl that was with you? Is she your girlfriend?"

That question caught me completely by surprise. "W-what?" I stuttered quickly, smiling and coughing. "She's just a friend I met on my way here, her name is Farrah."

"Oh?" She didn't believe me one bit. "She's pretty. How come you didn't bring her too?"

"I forgot," I simply replied with embarrassment before coughing again. "You know what? Let's head back now. I should probably go find her, and we can get something to eat."

"Uh-huh," she mumbled, a knowingly smile on her face. I sighed and led us back toward the house, deep in our own thoughts. I'm glad I shared my hidden secret to my sister; I felt satisfied and calm because of it.

((((()))))

The walk back was as much as I liked it to be, conversation wise anyway. I told her about my journey to collect my eight badges and all the tiny things I gotten myself in, good and bad, while she rode on my shoulders again. Talking with my sister was always enjoyable. If I couldn't find anything else to talk about, she would make up a story on the spot, ask a question about anything, or talk about what she did with her friends or our mother. Being with her was never a dull moment. But along the way I found myself coughing very roughly at times and at one point it felt like I had massive pain in my lungs or heart; I couldn't find out for certain.

I carefully lowered Dawn down to the grass as I stopped momentarily to clear my throat and unfortunately, cough hard again; to the point where it hurt whenever I did. Eventually my breathing became coarse and slow. I had no clue as to what was happening to me; it wasn't any kind of sickness I've experienced before.

"Cyan?!" Dawn asked worryingly. "What's wrong?" A familiar Pokémon cry originating from above directed both our attentions to the sky as I struggled to breathe, kneeling to the ground. I instantly recognized the Pokémon as the same swellow from the day before as it slowly lowered to us.

"We finally found you; you stubborn Lucario!"

Not her again. Please not her. I didn't have time to think about that annoying girl since my body forced me to try steady my breathing. It was so hard just to continue to breathe properly. It was then that I felt massive, stinging pain coming from my heart as I tried clutching my fur in front of it in hope that it would stop. The pain was almost too much. Dizziness started settling in as I dropped on all fours, coughing out something from my body onto the ground beneath me as I ripped off some grass, trying to fight the pain.

"Cyan! Please tell me what's wrong!" I faintly heard Dawn. "Hey! He needs help!"

What's happening to me...

When I opened my eyes, I was greeted to the red earth under me. I coughed up a small amount of crimson blood onto the grass where it once was green. There was an iron taste in my mouth and a liquid feeling covering my teeth and fangs, dripping slowly to the ground.

"Cyan, what's wrong?" I heard another worried voice ask; one I recognized instantly who placed a hand on my back. "Lerane! Do you have anything that would help him?!" That voice belonged to Farrah.

My eyes closed shut as I painfully coughed more blood; less this time. Their voices turned into silence as I struggled to breathe as best I could in this condition while my vision blurred. The painful stinging in my heart vanished, releasing all energy from my body and letting gravity take over as I fell to the ground...falling; that was the last thing I remembered.

((((()))))

_...Joy, how's his cond-..._

_...ot well...He needs more rest..._

_...happened?_

_I'm n-...certain...Are you his trainer?..._

_...Yes..._

_We ran...tests on your lucario and we never...–d any damage...internal system._

_...he was in bad pain though, why is that?_

_That's...We didn't find any damage as of yet...but when...examined him, his internal system wasn't functioning as it sh-... He's fine but before it seemed...body didn't know how to operate...synchronized manner...I'm sorry but I've never seen anything like it before..._

_...Is he going to be alright?_

_We'll keep...manage on his own. He's sleeping right now..._

_Oh._

_You...rest too, it's late. Let's go to the front desk, I'll giv-...key._

_Umm...ok..._


	9. Chapter 9

_[Beep]_

That noise...Stop it.

_[Beep]_

My head aches...Turn it off.

_[Beep]_

Everything was extremely quiet except that damn beeping, forcing me to wonder where I currently am...I just want to go back to sleep.

_[Beep]_

I thought using my aura sight would be a whole lot better than moving an inch of my body but I was instantly wrong the moment I tried. A massive painful sting introduced itself in my head, forcing me to stop and groan.

_[Beep]_

I carefully moved my weak and sore body slightly to familiarize myself again before opening my eyes open to a dark room with the light of the moon shining in from a nearby window.

_[Beep]_

This room was made similar to a hospital patient room but further investigation made me recognize it from a Pokémon centre. I was lying on my back with my tail extended to the right from under me in this small room. My guess would be that this room was used for emergencies based on all the advanced equipment around and the fact that I'm not with other Pokémon like I observed before.

_[Beep]_

That noise was originating from a heart rate monitor placed beside the small bed I was on, constantly tracking my pulse from a needle placed in my forearm. The room was completely empty besides me in it and the only door was closed, showing white light from its small window.

_[Beep]_

The last thing I remembered was...my body; the difficulties I had breathing while trying to remain conscious. Then there was the four of us: Dawn, Farrah, Farrah's friend, and myself. Judging from the objects in this room, there wasn't anything that clued my location...but there's no Pokémon centre in Newbark. I had no idea where I was.

_[Beep]_

I remember a dream...people talking. I don't remember what they said...was it even a dream?

_[Beep]_

I'm sick and tired of that constant, annoying noise. The heart rate monitor was too far away for my reach so I did the next best thing...I don't like being here anyhow. I reached for the needle with my other paw and endured the disturbing sight and sound it made as the needle slowly slid out of my blue and black coloured fur which, thankfully, halted the constant beeping. The machine instead made a quiet ring accompanied with a red word that read "ATTENTION!"

I struggled to lift myself off the bed only for my muscles to give way and fall onto the white hard floor with a painful thud. Growling, I got to my feet and tried to balance myself, holding the edge of the bed for support. My tail somehow managed to wedge itself between the bed railing and another metal end-piece of the bed which hurt when I tried walking to the door. I was absolutely inexperienced with my tail; it was like it had a mind of its own. When I freed my tail and finally reached the door, I was greeted by a blinding white light that forced me to cover and close my eyes while I worked on adjusting them. I found myself in a small deserted hallway that held many other emergency rooms and other unknown ones. All I wanted to do is find where I was and leave this uncomfortable building. A few more steps and I found dizziness settling in, affecting my balance to walk. The lighting seemed a little too bright for my liking as I slowly progressed down the white hallway, locating no personnel or Pokémon, until I rounded a corner and bumped into a pink blob. At first thought, it looked like an oversized inflatable ball but I soon found out it to be a chansey who looked surprised to see me.

The Pokémon had its arms at an angle and brows furrowed with a smile; the chansey knew I wasn't supposed to be there. I was about to ask about my whereabouts but it took in a deep breath and...sung.

No...

For the split second I wanted to retaliate or flee, I felt aura buildup in my paws, until every sound around me went silent except for an extremely soothing melody. It made me drowsy and tired, weakening my body until I was flat on the floor, relaxed and calm.

((((()))))

"Hope he'll wake up soon. Y'know I haven't seen him battle yet. That's something I look forward to."

"I don't think he can battle in this condition. Nurse Joy said he shouldn't push himself. Battling will probably make it worse."

Two voices stirred me from my sleep, two female voices I both recognized.

"At one point I want to see him battle though. Hopefully it'll be me facing him."

"Maybe."

I gradually opened my eyes to the bright, sun lit room consisting of Farrah sitting on a chair near one side of the patient bed I was placed on and the Swellow Girl standing near the other.

Farrah gasped as she stood up closer to the bed, "you're awake," looking relieved.

"Yeah, good timing too. We can finally start traveling," Swellow Girl stated.

Traveling? What in the world did I miss?

Farrah frowned at the other girl, "once Lucario is feeling better, then we'll leave."

The other girl raised both her hands and sneered, trying to keep her cool. "Alright alright. I'll be waiting in the dinner room." Without waiting for a reply, she made for the door and disappeared.

I yawned, ignoring Swellow Girl's sudden action while Farrah looked from the door to me. "How are you feeling Cyan?"

"Great, actually but _really_ hungry," I replied telepathically, stretching my limbs. My whole body felt well rested and sore free. Farrah grinned, examining my whole form. This time around, I didn't find any equipment or needles around me, to my relief. I sat up, yawning again. "Where's Dawn? Where are we for that matter?"

"Dawn is at home along with your mom and your Pokémon." Her face saddened, "we're in Cherrygrove City."

"I see." It didn't take a genius to know she was thinking about her family, more specifically her dad. "You didn't contact him, did you?" I asked seriously.

She shook her head, "no, I'm not ready for that."

I nodded in agreement, "good."

"But how are you doing, really? You collapsed when we found you and there was blood on the ground. Are you really ok?"

I gazed blankly at my legs, remembering what I could from that day. "...I don't know what happened."

She leaned backward slightly in response, not satisfied with my answer. "Oh."

"Did the nurse say anything about it?" I asked curiously, looking at her from the corners of my eyes.

"Yes. She told me your body didn't know how to behave properly; she thinks that's what caused your breakdown. When I saw you like that, I...I thought," she stopped suddenly, head pointed downwards.

I let out a breath of air, recalling how much I disliked a hospital setting. "I'm alright now," I said smiling, padding her hand that held onto the bed's railing. "Let's get outta' here. I'm dying for a burger and fries." My attempt to lighten her spirits worked. She giggled and nodded before I pushed myself up and off the bed easily to my own two feet.

A bag was placed in front of me by Farrah; my bag. "Here's your bag. Just thought it might be useful."

I gladly accepted it and flung it around my shoulder with a "thank you" before we exited the room and made for the main lobby. "Who's your friend anyway?" I finally asked.

"That's Lerane. She's from the Hoenn region and we met a couple days ago in Newbark Town. We rode on her Swellow to bring you here."

"Wait," I said, stopping just after we exited the hallway. "A couple days ago? I was here for two days?" Farrah nodded in response, looking down at me while I took it in. "And what's today, the 31st?"

"Yep."

So today...today's my-

"Farrah?"

"Hi Nurse Joy," my friend greeted to the lady behind the main counter.

"Oh? I see Lucario is doing much better now," Joy noted happily.

We stopped in front of the counter while Joy examined me. She walked out from the back and to me with a stethoscope around her neck, kneeling down to my level to perform one final check on my body before standing again. "You're pulse returned to normal and everything checks out. I've only seen a handful of lucario before you but none of them ever had any of the symptoms you've experienced. You be care now, ok Lucario?" she said with a smile, scratching behind one of my ears which I found oddly enjoyable. "I just need a signature from you ok?" Joy asked from Farrah who nodded.

I turned and examined the building. The Pokémon centre was quite empty save for one or two trainers sitting on padded couches with their Pokémon. A flat screen television fixed on the wall shown the current date and time as well as a seven day weather forecast in the surrounding area. It was 3pm and currently cloudy with rain estimated about 5-9mm. A quick look outside told me they weren't lying. It wasn't raining but the clouds seemed low with a harmless bright grey shade of colour, but when I looked to another window I saw intimidating black clouds off in the distance of the lake. I looked back up to the TV and the seven day forecast showed icons of rain and clouds across the whole week. I couldn't help but wonder something was wrong, somewhere.

"Something wrong?" Farrah asked from behind, startling me.

I turned to meet her, "I was just wondering why the weather has been so bad lately, but that can wait. Ready?"

She turned to the dining room, "let's go find Lerane first, then we'll get going," walking towards the dining room with me right behind her. Only one person and one Pokémon occupied the cafeteria-like room, which was Lerane standing on a chair grooming the back fur of a tall blaziken I assumed was hers.

Lerane noticed us approaching and jumped down from the chair just as the blaziken turned to us. "Ah, _finally_. Have a nice long nap Lucario? Or should I say Cyan?" she said with a smirk.

I don't like being around this girl at all. "Either one is fine by me," I bluntly replied using telepathy.

"We were thinking of stopping by a burger place before we leave the city," Farrah spoke up to Lerane. "Did you eat yet?"

Lerane looked up to the blaziken while the Pokémon gave me uncomfortable stares my way, forcing me to gaze out a nearby window. "No, not yet, but that sounds good; a lot better than what they serve here," she replied, returning her gaze to Farrah.

I felt curiosity from Farrah but she didn't hesitate to ask. "I don't think I've seen you with that Pokémon before," she commented, shifting slightly to examine it. "Is it yours?"

"Kayra here?" Lerane obviously asked. "Yeah. Professor Birch gave her to me as my starter. We've been through so much together. Had her ever since she was a tiny torchic."

I eyed the quiet blaziken from the corner of my eye. I thought that blaziken took on a femininely shape but I wasn't sure until Lerane clarified its gender. Even now she eyed me with feelings of curiosity and interest for whatever reason. That's one of the Pokémon I always wanted as part of my team during my journey because of the element type and attack styles, but it didn't seem possible unless I traveled to the Hoenn region.

"Cool," Farrah exclaimed just as Kayra converted into a red coloured energy and disappeared into a Pokéball held in Lerane's hand.

"Well, let's get goin' then," Lerane said, walking past us towards the main entrance with a sneer, no doubt enjoying Farrah's response. She's so full of herself. I sighed before following them to the doors.

The thought of food made my mouth watery. Can't even remember the last time I've had a complete, satisfying meal. My stomach burns for at least a bite to eat as I rubbed my stomach in reaction. Once Lerane caused the automatic sliding doors to function, a breeze of nice cool air rushed against and past my fur, all the while Farrah shivered slightly regardless of the wind-breaker jacket she was wearing. Lerane however, looked like she was resisting the urge to actually put on her jacket in her hand, trying to look tough. The breeze quickly came and went, to my disappointment, as the three of us stood outside the Pokémon centre of Cherrygrove City. The air was very refreshing than the inside but the scent wasn't as enjoyable as the forest for example; something I've caught onto since I changed.

My friend pointed beyond the paved walkway in front of us that lead towards the beach while people casually walked up and down it. "I know a good burger stand just down by the shoreline. I know the person that owns it. The food is really good there."

Food...Anything...

"Alright," Lerane said, examining where Farrah pointed before locking eyes at her. "I'll meet you there. There's some supplies I need before we leave the city. See you two later!" Waving, Lerane walked down the path to our right, leaving Farrah and I.

Farrah leaned toward me and looked down with her normal warm smile, "well, hungry?"

I opened my mouth and let my tongue out a little, making the impression I've been starving before nodding my answer which made her giggle. People made the decision of moving out of the way as we passed by, giving me their usual stares, not that I cared though. The area became free of shops and other various buildings once I stepped onto the cool sand below my feet, halting to a stop as I gazed at the dark clouds way off in the distance. From this distance I could tell how bad the storm was going to be once it reached Cherrygrove. The rigorous crashing of waves under a ceiling of black clouds that lit up every few seconds from lightning strikes impacted the water traveling onto the city's beach with rough and high reaches. Was it like that when Farrah and I reached Newbark? No...It looked worse.

Something went from the top of my eyesight then to my neck in one swift motion, cutting me from my thoughts as I looked behind my shoulder to Farrah who was tying the scarf she gave me. "It's probably a good idea that you wear this," she suggested.

I smiled, "yeah. Thanks."

"No problem. Come on," she happily said, grabbing my paw and started pulling me to the left along the beach. "It's just over there."

The place she brought me to was one of these burger places named "AJ's" which was a part of a small two story building, the second floor looking like an office while the burger place occupied the bottom floor. This place was more like a typical walk-in food stand seen near beaches or special events. You order food, then eat it on a nearby outside table. Only a few people walked along the shopping strip portion of the beach but AJ's was free just for us.

"Farrah? Is that you?!" a guy called from behind the counter, waving at us.

My friend ran ahead, "hi Alex! Long time no see!" she called as I walked up.

He looked to be in his forties sporting long black hair that was tied in a pony tail and a white dirty apron. This guy was round along the edges but he wasn't fat. Alex from behind the counter laughed light heartedly. "It's been _too_ long if you asked me. What brings you around these parts at this time? Certainly not for a swim, I hope," he said, laughing.

"We came for a bite to eat, Lucario and I."

He crossed his arms but still wore the wide smile on his face. "Oh is that right? Finally a trainer now are ya?" Farrah nodded happily in response. "That's one tough-looking Pokémon you got yourself young lady," he commented on me before switching back to the topic at hand. "Well you've come to the right place! What'll it be?"

Farrah gazed at the counter which held the menu in all its glory. My eyes were glued to all the picture of a delicious looking burger from the menu; it looked so good. "Um...you know what. I'll just have my usual please...and I'm pretty sure Lucario wants one of your famous burgers."

"You got it!" Farrah produced a wallet from her backpack to which Alex stopped her. "Now now Farrah. No need for that! It's on the house."

Farrah looked up to Alex with an unsure expression. "Are you sure? I don't mind-"

"Of course!" he confirmed before looking behind his shoulder to all the cooking equipment. "Eh, Jon! Order up!" he called to a younger worker who acknowledged him and went straight to work with our food order. The joyful owner suddenly turned serious, "can I speak with you in the back for a second though?"

Farrah looked reluctant for a second but nodded before turning to me. "Why don't you go find us a seat? I won't be long." With that being said, she rounded a corner and disappeared from sight, leaving me by my lonesome.

Not wanting to get involved with their conversation, I listened to her and turned around, immediately spotting a round table covered by a big rainbow coloured umbrella and a few flat-top stools placed in a triangle, surrounding it. After having trouble adjusting my tail to a comfortable position, I sat down properly, laying my head flat on the surface of the table while my arms hung below, waiting with the view of the beach in front of me. Closing my eyes, I took in the sound of the waves hitting the beach and the scent of the water, noticing my ears and tail twitch once in a while on their own accord.

"You're a weird one you know."

By using aura, I knew who it was before she spoke. "Hi to you too Linx," I calmly replied, telepathically. The feline Pokémon jumped up easily onto one of the stools and made herself comfortable.

Apparently she was deep in thought since she was staring down the beach when I opened my eyes, but I didn't bother lifting my head. She mumbled something I didn't understand so I asked nicely. "What'd you say?"

The question broke her sight from the beach, looking to the ground instead. "I...I never thanked you for helping Farrah, so...thank you." Finally, her eyes met mine. I smiled but as soon as she noticed she looked away. "But you're still weird," she commented quickly, curling up on the stool, back turned to me. My smile didn't leave though; she actually cared. In some ways, she reminded me of Dawn because of her childish nature and protectiveness. Why she called me weird I don't know, but it didn't bother me. Couldn't blame her for calling me that...A human spirit in a Pokémon body...Yeah, like anyone would believe that.

Regardless, Farrah believed me.

About five minutes of waiting, Farrah finally returned, removing her backpack before sitting down at our table. It was obvious, judging from her expression, they've talked about something very personal but she covered it with a fake smile. My guess would be that the topic was about her father, but I wasn't sure and I didn't want to bring it up. She noticed how I placed my head on the table and brought back her usual smile. "Awww, you must be starving Cyan."

I was.

As soon as she said that our food arrived, held by the younger worker. Everything was placed on a plastic tray that he left on the table before leaving. A couple burgers covered in reflective wrapping, a set of fries, and a couple drinks. I finally lifted my head from the table and reached across only for Farrah to slide the tray further from my grasp. When I looked at her, confused, she pushed my paw by the spike away from the food and set a small plastic plate in front of me that held a dozen colourful small cubes.

"What's the big deal?" I asked firmly, a little irritated about her action of taking away the only thing she brought me here for.

"Here. After you have these, _then_ you may have it."

"Pokéblocks?" I examined, frowning. "You can't be serious."

She was grinning, finding my reaction amusing. "I am. Nurse Joy said you must have these Pokéblocks before having anything else to eat. So eat up Mr. Lucario," she said before diving in to her meal, teasing me in the process.

I snarled at her before awkwardly picking up a pink Pokéblock. It was small enough to pick up with one paw but most of the time I need to use both paws to hold something since I no longer have my human hands. The cube didn't smell bad and when I popped it into my mouth, it was like a piece of hard candy; tasting a little sweet. The next few were almost as good, some being softer like a piece of gum and some being crunchy. Unfortunately the last Pokéblock tasted awful. I wanted to spit it out but the soft yellow block melted the instant it entered my mouth. Farrah and Linx watched, holding back their laughter as I tasted the worst Pokéblock I've ever had; not that I've had many.

Farrah put my main meal in front of me out of sympathy, giggling. "Looks like that didn't taste very good."

"What I should have done was share it," I joked.

Both her hands waved in disagreement as she laughed lightheartedly. "No thank you. That was made _just_ for you."

"Right..."

I somehow only managed to eat half the burger that was given to me and a few pieces of fries when I felt I couldn't eat anymore. Farrah finished her whole meal and Linx resumed napping on a nearby stone barrier separating the sand from the stone walkway.

"Are you done already? You only ate a little," Farrah said in disbelief.

I nodded, slouching of the stool. "I can't eat any more."

"Wow."

"I _would_ have eaten the whole thing if I wasn't a Pokémon."

She thought about it for a moment. "Well, it's okay if you can't finish it," she replied kindly, taking the leftovers and piling them onto the tray for garbage.

"Hey Farrah! Are you ready to go?" Both our heads turned to that high pitched voice that was Lerane walking closer to our table from the street we came through in order to get here. This time, she had a plastic bag of what I assumed was her shopping for supplies.

"Almost," Farrah answered, eyeing me for a second then back.

Lerane reached our table before shuffling inside the bag. "I got some good deals at the Pokémart to help along our trip." I was starting to question this trip now. Why didn't Farrah talk about it with me? "Look," Lerane said, pulling a few round spheres out of the bag for us to examine. Those were all Ultraballs. Usually, Lerane pays more attention to Farrah than me, but this time, I didn't like the way she eyed me once she showed us the Pokéballs. I stopped looking in her direction overall and rested my head back on the table like I did earlier, trying to ignore them.

While they conversed about Lerane's items, I reached into Farrah's mind, intruding her train of thought thus disrupting her attention on her friend. "You never told me directly about this _trip_ you decided on. Where do you plan on going?" I asked with little to no emotion.

I felt a little worry in her feelings but oddly, no guilt. "We're going to Violet City for the first gym. Lerane wants to challenge Falkner there and...I might too." The decision for Farrah to become a trainer was no surprise to me. That's what I assumed she'd do when we first left Cherrygrove.

"I see."

Lerane eventually figured out I was only talking with Farrah. Her feelings showed surprise at the now known ability that I can include whoever I wanted with telepathy. "Well, shall we get goin'? Sometime this month please?" she impatiently blurted, placing her shopping items from the plastic bag into her pack.

Farrah returned her sleeping espeon back into her Pokéball and stood up. "Yeah, let's go," she said, watching intently to see if I followed their directions, to which I did with only one thought in my mind: training.

((((()))))

Cherrygrove shrunk in the distance as we walked north and thankfully, the weather was on our side since it hasn't started raining yet. Lerane let out her blaziken who was walking along side her and Farrah, all in front of me as I casually followed them blankly staring at the passing dirt trail, thinking as best I could while they talked nonsense. Farrah told me she called my sister earlier to inform her of my condition, which was a relief. I missed her and my mother already.

"Kayra, _now._"

Then there's me; my situation...about that thing who spoke to me by the lakeside. I don't want to remain a Pokémon but at the same time I want to learn all I can while I have the ability t-

Without warning, something excruciatingly painful hit my stomach, knocking the air out of me before sending me flying backwards with my arms and legs pointed in front of me due to the shear force. All I saw was a burst of flames and the feeling of the impact. I hit the ground hard with a flip before coming to a stop on my stomach, struggling to regain breath.

"What are you doing?!"

"..."

"Stop this right n-"

"No! I told you before. I want to see him battle...Get up lucario!"

I...HATE her.

I looked up after steadying my breathing to see the blaziken in a fighting stance before me with a steady blaze of fire on its wrists, ready for a command. The rare moment of aura buildup returned again, but this time I feel...the energy all over my body rather than just my paws.

"Slash!"

After struggling to push myself off the ground, I acted purely on instinct the moment I saw Kayra rushing toward me. I barreled to the right side, dodging her swipe before I used the strength of my legs alone in hope for a tackle. The end result however, was different because that same aura buildup concentrated to my legs, delivering a powerful impact to her back that only unbalanced the fire type.

"Double team then Blaze Kick!"

Copies of the blaziken surrounded my position in all directions. Thankfully though, I closed my eyes and used my aura vision in time to identify the real one before all copies launched the second attack. I concentrated the aura feeling to my arms just as Kayra's attack missed my arm by inches before thrusting my paw into her shoulder. Instead of being a regular punch I intended it to be, the immediate contact forced all the blaziken's momentum backward instead of forward, sending her back quite a ways from what I believed to be a concentrated aura attack, clipping a tree before coming to a rest on the ground.

Kayra quickly recovered to her knees, staring me in the eye, panting slightly. For the first time, I heard her speak, "good."

"Don't let him get to you Kayra! Use Double Team again!"

I grinned as the fire type quickly copied itself around me once more before attacking. This was going to be no different than the last attempt so I readied myself just as the blaziken rushed from all angles.

"NO!"

Farrah's scream knocked me out of my concentration as I opened my eyes, shocked to see a familiar black and yellow Pokéball closing the distance in front of my eyes.

The Double Team was a distraction. This was not the regular battle I had hoped for. It was a capture.


	10. Chapter 10

The feeling and experience inside a Pokéball was...nothing compared to ANYTHING in the real world. I had no feeling or control over my body; it was like I never had one. Only my mind kept me sane while I saw short glimpses of various sceneries and lines upon lines of numbers, all the while hearing a deafening static noise. What I saw flashed before me like a strobe light.

I was scared out of my mind as I panicked, not knowing what to do. It wasn't real. It wasn't where I belonged. This wasn't supposed to happen to me. The whole time I spent inside the Pokéball, I repeatedly kept telling myself that it wasn't happening, not now. The loud static wouldn't stop and the flashing images turned into a blurry sight before a white canvas eventually replaced all other colours.

The familiar feeling of my own heartbeat returned to me, but rapidly pulsating while I felt the dirt ground beneath me and the cool breeze of the wind against my fur again.

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS! HE DOESN'T BELONG TO YOU!" I heard Farrah yell but stop suddenly.

"It didn't work," Lerane muttered, ignoring the screaming girl.

I opened my eyes the instant I was free to the sight Lerane and Kayra behind Farrah who was facing them with a protective gesture. Farrah looked extremely relieved when she noticed me, Lerane showed a serious puzzled expression, and the blaziken remained in a defensive stance. One glance at Lerane and all my emotions turned to hatred. I stood as tall as I could with my arms and legs spread, paws clawed tightly downwards at my sides, fangs bared, and a look of hate written on my face. It was my attempt at pure intimidation and aggression against Lerane's unexpected action. What happened next on my part was not intentional as I felt instinct take over before I roared as fiercely at her in a successful attempt of making my reaction obviously known.

Farrah shrieked too as she mumbled my name in fear and backed away slightly. My anger wasn't directed to her, all I wished to do was make Lerane pay for what she did. I channeled all the aura energy I could feel to my right clawed paw which surprising produced an increasingly growing sphere of dark-blue coloured energy that levitated above my palm, making crackling and fizzing sounds. Without thinking and hesitation, I threw the recoiled sphere with high speed towards Lerane who stood motionless from shock, just deciding to evade as the sphere left my paw. Her blaziken acted quickly, jumping in front of the two girls before creating a green shield that covered the three.

The sphere I created exploded on impact when it reached my target following a loud blast and a small shockwave. Once the smoke cleared, Kayra's shield remained intact while the three inside stood untouched but shaken up. I couldn't stick around for fear of another attempt from Lerane, so I turned 90degrees to my left and ran; deviating away from the path and into masses of trees. I wouldn't allow myself to look back. For all I know, she could have a legendary pursuing me, but that was no reason to look back now; I had to get away.

The trees went by me as fast as they came in the evening light. For once a portion of the sky cleared up to reveal an orange glow just above the grey clouds. Two dark figures, one human and one Pokémon, casually walked perpendicular to the direction I was headed. I used my aura sight rather than my eyes to circle around them while I carefully watched every step, headed west to nowhere; which was ok so long as I wasn't around Lerane. I ran, avoiding any sign of life with a heart of anger and hatred.

Ever since Lerane decided to join us, I've felt nothing but negativity against her. Her voice: annoying. Her personality: selfish. Her training style: inefficient. From what I found, Lerane was one of those young trainers who would primarily focus on training one Pokémon while using the others only in time of need. One of those trainers who I try avoid on my journey because of their inexperience as well as their dependence on their Pokémon as well as those around them.

While I imagined various scenarios of confronting Lerane, mostly ones that hurt her in some shape or form, I didn't concentrate on where I was going because my shoulder painfully clipped a tree I roughly passed. Recovering easily, I only saw partial blood on both the tree and my shoulder, but I ignored it as best I could and resumed my sprint with my eyes this time.

I've been running for who knows how long. The sun was just about to set on the ocean horizon. I tried settling myself down slightly but I definitely wasn't feeling like the weather as some people would say. When I try to be optimistic, there's always rain or at least dark clouds but now that I'm all frustrated, the sky was almost clear from any shades that didn't cover the stars. The scenery didn't help my mood one bit.

A beach blocked my path a while back so I followed alongside it since. I stopped where a large stream of water flowed freely into the ocean from the forest to catch my breath. This one time, I allowed myself to look behind my shoulder only to find the beach completely lifeless.

It wasn't believable that I was faster than any Pokémon Lerane had. If she did pursue me, the best choice was to have her swellow follow, but I didn't see any Pokémon around except for the local ones that lived further up in nearby trees.

Slowing my pace, I decided to walk along the steady flow upstream until I found a waterfall that resembled large steps in which water flowed down gracefully, angrily thinking the whole time why Lerane had to mess everything up. Everything would have been so much better if Farrah didn't have her along with us, which was all uncalled for. Sure, she did find me when I was lost, but was that because she wanted to see a rare Sinnoh Pokémon or to help Farrah? Perhaps both but she's too selfish to know what a favor is.

Out of frustration, I took a running start and kicked a small rock as hard as I could in a useless attempt to relieve these feelings. The rock flew some distance away before bouncing off a boulder with a crack and into the water. My foot ached from my sudden outburst but I easily ignored the pain.

Why? Being around Farrah, a friend was what I needed who would understand in my time of need. I haven't seen my other 'friends' in a long time; mostly being power-driven rivals now.

I'm not going back.

After roughly walking up to a tree near the waterfall's cliff, I summoned the aura energy back into my paws and delivered a strong blow into the side of the tree, roaring the whole time. Almost half of its side was gone; in pieces from the small burst of energy and off to the ground. I pulled my slightly bleeding paw from the wood and collapsed down the side of the tree onto my knees.

I turned and sat against the half blown tree, watching the water continuously fall from the each ledge with its soothing sound.

I didn't notice it before, but this area felt comfortable and relaxing; a nice place to do nothing. My legs suddenly pulsated for rest and a headache constantly made itself known. Unwrapping my bag from my shoulders, I placed it at my side before leaning back again with a sigh in an attempt to once again try calm myself and rest my aching body.

Farrah wouldn't have ever done what Lerane just did; she actually cared and understood me. I can't go back. I can't return to her while Lerane is around.

Raising my right paw up to my eyesight, I released my aura from my body to my paw, the same way I did when I created that exploding sphere. Easily, the blue sphere grew until I controlled it to stop; holding it in place as it restrictively hovered above my paw. Its blue glow shed light around me in the growing darkness of night. It pulsated blue and white colours and gave off a smooth sound unlike the fizzing one I used for an attack. I could clearly distinguish my aura radiating from the sphere, like knowing someone was there with you.

I closed my eyes, held the sphere close and stayed unmoving for a minute or two.

Happy birthday Cyan.

Once I opened my eyes, I slowly released the energy into the air where it beautifully evaporated into many small glowing dots of blue, rising into the night before disappearing from the naked eye. They weren't in sight any longer, but I still felt my aura around me, like a warm blanket.

I sat there, staring at the bright stars in the night sky, not thinking anymore.

Those stars. The last time I gazed up to a clear starry night was the night of my transformation. Flame was resting inside her Pokéball and I relaxed near a tree, just like now. It was so peaceful then and it still is now. Times like these I wish my Pokémon were with me, regardless of my form.

The wind picked up as I felt a familiar aura signature slowly closing the distance in my direction. I didn't want to go back, so I picked myself off the ground and made for the waterfall. Since the scent and sound eliminated my own to an extent. It'll be an excellent place to hide for the time being...Maybe till tomorrow. As I got closer to the crashing waves, I noticed a small indent almost behind the falls. The indent became what I thought was a small hole in the rocks, but when I was literally beside the crashing water, I noticed a small cave in the mist. It was perfect.

I had to jump on large boulders sticking out from the water to reach it. The cave was pitched black to anyone else, but not to me with aura. Luckily the cave was lifeless inside and almost dry save for one or two leaks from the above stream. The cave wasn't big, but it was enough to hide behind the falls which I couldn't see through without the use of aura.

Hopefully Linx won't discover this place. After she scouted around the area, from my indented tree then to scent, her feelings turned to worry and sympathy before rushing in another direction.

I sighed in relief, lowering down against the cool walls of the cave to a sitting position with only one question in my head: Now what?

With my plans ruined and no direction, where do I go from here...

For the next hour or so, I didn't move from that spot, staring at the barely visible wall while I listened to the sounds of the waterfall. I was truly lost.

All the light from the sun had vanished some time ago and now night had come. I didn't know what time it was and didn't care. Why would I care? I had my goal of reaching the champion after battling the elite four and now that that goal is no longer achievable in my state, I have nothing. Training was the only path I planned for myself after waiting so long.

With closed eyes, I gripped my paw to the point where it hurt.

Where...Where do I go from here?

There was no point in getting frustrated; nothing changes.

A crackling sound near the entrance made my ears perk up before I quickly looked to the source, finding a small Pokémon eyeing me carefully and curiously behind a boulder. As soon as I made eye contact with it, the Pokémon gasped and quickly hid. I couldn't identify which one it was. It looked to be walking on all fours and had a form similar to Linx, slightly smaller. When I closed my eyes, I found its feelings radiating fear and curiosity but the most interesting and alarming part I found was its aura. A closer look with aura and I found the Pokémon to be a pup, like a houndour or a growlithe, but its aura was shockingly weak. From past experience, I would say it's either on the verge of starvation, depression, or...death.

I felt the need to help this Pokémon because if I didn't in its current condition then...I don't want to think about what will happen.

Easily establishing a telepathic connection between us, I spoke into its mind with a soothing tone. "You can come out now. I'm not going to hurt you." The Pokémon poked its head out from behind the rock to give me a weary look. Again, I tried encouraging the little Pokémon by relaxing against the wall again for its reassurance.

The little pup Pokémon finally revealed its whole body with a tail to the ground, body lowered, and a nose pointed in my direction for scent. Carefully, the Pokémon took a few steps forward with caution as it continuously sniffed the area before stopping again. "Y-you. Did you talk in my h-head?" he asked with a young, shaky voice. A closer look to the pup and my guess was correct when I saw the poor guy shivering.

I nodded but immediately realized that he probably couldn't see me that well. "Yes, that was me. Your family, do they live in here?"

The pup sneezed before answering, "No," lowering his head. "I-I haven't s-seen them i-in a long time."

"Do you live here?"

"I d-don't know...Maybe, I g-guess."

I was confused by his answer. Maybe? From his condition, he was going through rough times. But...was he abandoned?

"Who a-are you?" he asked.

"My name is Cyan. I'm a lucario. What's your name?"

It took him a few moments to respond. "Wild. That's what my mum called me, but m-my trainer called me poochyena."

A poochyena? From what I heard, those Pokémon are common and exclusive in Hoenn but I've never met one before.

Wild walked a little closer, "I've never m-met a l-lucario before," inching closer to me but freezing up every time I moved.

"It's ok, you can come over here," I assured him. I've only just met myself too. "Are you hungry?"

"N-no."

I smiled at his pride without the use of aura; it was obvious. "_Really_? When was the last time you ate?"

"Umm...yesterday," he muttered in defeat. It wasn't surprising; my original findings from aura were confirmed.

"Come here then," I started, kneeling to bring my bag around to open its main zipper. "I might have something in here for you." That's if Farrah didn't empty it when she left my Pokémon behind. I noticed Wild's tail started to sway side to side a little, but he clearly remained unsettled. In order to see in around my bag, I had to use aura to identify different items from the last. So far, my Pokédex, medical supplies for both people and Pokémon, keys for my house, money, emergency supplies, Pokémon food, berries, and nutrition bars remained. But everything else such as Pokéballs, TM/HM's I've collected, and held items for my Pokémon were missing.

Wild found the courage to actually get close to me while I searched. The colour patterns on his fur were quite interesting when I opened my eyes again, with what little light was given, but sadly I noticed how skinny he really was.

"You carry a bag around w-with you?" he asked slowly, eyeing it. I realize now that Pokémon don't usually carry bags of any sort with them since they travel inside Pokéballs when in training.

"Yeah. I got when I first started traveling." After pulling out one of two small jars of Pokémon food, that was enough for one or two meals depending on the Pokémon, I placed it on top of a sheet of paper towel a few feet away for Wild. Without hesitation, the little pup dug straight into it until all was gone after just twenty seconds. I had to give the starving pup both jars of food and a couple berries until he was satisfied, which was almost all of my food; I didn't mind though since I could easily more.

I picked up what was left and packed them away for garbage before placing my bag down next to me.

Immediately after eating, Wild thanked me for the food and dropped on the spot in exhaustion, falling asleep moments later. I couldn't help but feel sorry for what he went through, nearly starving and without care at his age. If I were to guess, then I would say the little pup would be about three or four years old. Surviving out on his own would be a challenge and a half for Wild; he's just too young.

The area in which he fell asleep on looked uncomfortable in the middle of the cave so carefully, I moved him near the wall opposite of where I was sitting, under my scarf that gave warmth as well as support. Thankfully, my scarf was barely big enough to cover the ground under Wild before he curled himself from the inside breeze.

Meeting the small Pokémon really helped with getting my mind off the event earlier in the day but then again, it simply replaced my concern with another, being Wild's trainer who, most likely, abandoned him. Sure trainers can release their Pokémon but it's their responsibility to provide enough support by doing certain things like returning them where they caught the Pokémon or simply giving them berries temporarily, not leaving them in a totally different environment. It disgusts me when trainers treat Pokémon like tools for battle or work.

I shook my head at the image before returning to lie back against the wall of rocks and stones. I didn't want to think about all that's happened today; all of it was almost too much to experience in one day. Thankfully, the Pokédex offered time to repel those thoughts. After pulling it out, I flicked the cover around that made the device automatically power on, producing the brightest light in the darkness. Using the Pokédex at night never worked out that well, and this time was no different when I pointed it at Wild. Nothing. These things should come with a built-in flashlight or something of the sort to be capable of night scans.

It did offer time but time well wasted. After placing the useless device back, I lowered myself onto my back, feeling relaxed with the fresh air and the falls while I noticed dim ripples on the ceiling from the water's reflection of the moon's light.

((((()))))

I woke up the next morning shivering from the moisture and the cool air. Somehow I curled myself into a ball during the night with my arms and legs to the ground, which was good for me since there was no blanket in my bag anymore. But I was surprised when I found Wild curled right up next to me as well; guess he found it warmer next to me. Smiling at his move, I slowly raised myself off the ground to prevent disturbing his sleep, stretching in the process. As much as I wanted to go back to sleep, I couldn't; the rocky ground was way too uncomfortable, cold, and slightly wet.

All was quiet, except the calming sound of the waterfall I always enjoyed. Stretching again and yawning, I brushed my fur clean from dirt and dust my fur gathered from the ground. I swung my bag over my shoulder and picked the scarf off the ground where Wild used to be, tying it around my neck before making my way toward the exit only to step on something that stuck to my foot. It wasn't a rock, that's for sure, and it wasn't dirt. The darkness of the extremely early morning made it hard to see but when I pulled it off my foot, I noticed its small, white paper-like shape. A rare find, especially in a place like-

Squinting in order to gain a better view, my mind and heart stopped when I discovered what it actually was.

Dawn's drawing...but...how?

Thinking that whoever had possession of this picture was still here, I quickly searched around the cave but found nothing but the poochyena. I know for a fact he didn't bring in anything before he fell asleep, so...who did? The picture was still roughly the same condition than when I first lost it, but now it clearly had my footprint on the back.

I couldn't help but think about that creature that watched and spoke to me in Newbark. Even now, I didn't pick up any aura signature around the area that felt powerful but yet again, I couldn't see further than an approximate ten metre radius.

The light outside was slightly brighter than the cave when I exited it by jumping from rock to rock, easily reaching the small river shoreline. While some Pokémon slept peacefully in and under some trees nearby, I didn't see anything out of the ordinary. I don't even know what this creature looks like. A blue blur; that's all I remember from that day.

I pulled up my sister's drawing from my paw, wondering if I should go back to where I first saw the creature. After recovering my picture, was it possible that _he_ followed here?

A sudden memory of yesterday wiped all other thoughts from my mind. Farrah. I feel as though I shouldn't be leaving her but, I suppose she has a companion now to replace me; a companion she must hate by now. No. She would probably leave Lerane after pulling that stunt. I suppose I would get a better chance of reencountering that mysterious Pokémon back in Newbark, but Farrah's situation is a whole other story. Regardless of which path I choose, I need to improve my strength and abilities to that Pokémon's request if I am to change back. Maybe separating Farrah from Lerane would be the better option because I see more training in that direction than going back home.

I sighed. Confronting gym leaders would help a great deal more and Farrah has the key to that path. If I can't find Farrah or if she's still with Lerane, then I'll just head home to Dawn and my mom.

Can't believe I'-

"Cyan...?"

I looked around my shoulder to find a sleepy poochyena that was Wild looking quizzically at me before I turned fully to face him. "Wild...How are you feeling?"

He yawned, "ok now, better...sleepy," was his barely audible response that made me smile.

"That's good," I said, turning to find where the sun was rising to check which direction was where.

"Are you leaving?"

I sighed, "sadly, I have to."

Wild lowered his head and tail in disappointment. "Oh."

I remembered the reason why he stayed in the area and thought that it would be better if he came with me. I know Dawn would love to have a Pokémon like Wild around. "Why don't you come with me?"

His ears perked up as he moved his head to the side, eyes to the ground. "He told me to stay here..."

I looked at him, concerned for his well being. If I told the harsh reality of his trainer not coming back, the little guy would be heartbroken; it wouldn't be the right course of action at the moment, but that didn't mean I couldn't try persuade him. "...Where I'm going, I know a kind little family who would love to have you. And the little girl there loves Pokémon like you. She'll play with you all the time and take good care of you." Wild's tail flickered, quickly stealing a look to see if I meant it before returning his gaze to the ground.

"I need to stay. He told me to," he sadly replied again, sitting down on his hind legs.

Wild was one loyal Pokémon to follow his ex-trainer's instruction. "If you feel the need to, then stay," I replied softly, feeling sympathetic for the pup. "I'm not forcing you." I wasn't sure if his trainer actually was coming back or not, but it was his choice. The only thing I can do is hope the best for the young poochyena. Before leaving though, I brought out a couple pieces of fruit and berries from my bag that I set down in front of him. "Here, you can have these just in case."

"Thanks Cyan," he said with an attempted smile, looking up at me. "Thank you for helping me."

"Anytime." I remained knelt down while I brought Dawn's picture for him to see, rotating the picture to show both sides. "Wild, did you ever see this before?"

It was a letdown when he shook his head. "What is it?"

I stood up, placing the picture in the usual pocket of my bag. "Something very important to me. Just wanted to check if you seen it before."

"Oh."

"You take care of yourself ok?"

He nodded once, "I will."

Turing south that led back to the shoreline, I started walking, looking behind my shoulder one last time to see Wild sitting in that same spot as he watched me with a lowered head in the darkness that soon, will be filled with morning light. Until that time of day comes though, Wild only disappeared into nothing but a dark void behind me.


	11. Chapter 11

So far, the walk has been fairly quiet. It was around lunch time and I haven't seen Farrah or Lerane. The forest I currently walked through held various beautiful pre-fall colours consisting a mix of green and orange. Then there's the sky; the weather returned to its usual dark grey clouds that threatened rain and thunder. I guess I shouldn't be complaining about it; my fur keeps my body warm where people would use heavy windbreakers and extra layers. Plus winter was just around the corner and it was almost time for snow in about a month or so. Last year, we had snow early in the year shortly after I left home. I remember people freaking out about it because the snow we had in one day broke the record with fifteen centimetres. Winter was the season made for me, not summer; I can't stand the heat.

I stopped and sighed when I felt a few drops of rain and sighed. Typical. The thought of the morning came back as I checked behind my shoulder for Wild, but it was useless. If only he came along, he would have been better off.

The scarf I wore flapped in the direction of a sudden strong gust of wind that, for some reason, halted a moment later. I calmly opened my eyes again from the wind and focused them ahead; the general direction of Cherrygrove. I heard faint swishing of leaves behind me that grew slightly louder with each second. It sounded like something rushing through-

Something swept by from under me in one swift motion, taking me by the feet and tripping me onto my back. It all occurred so fast that I didn't know what happened until it did. Confused and slightly annoyed, I quickly sat up and searched for whoever pulled that off. It was jumping from tree to tree in that same speed I was familiar with to the north. That Pokémon and the one who did this to me, they were the same. Aggression instantly grew inside me as I growled and took off from the ground to my feet, sprinting in order to barely keep up.

"Whatever you are, you owe me answers!" I telepathically yelled toward the Pokémon, growling loudly as I did so.

I ran around, ducked, jumped, and unfortunately hit passing trees. The unknown Pokémon didn't intend to stop after sprinting for a few minutes straight. I was beginning to feel the early feelings of exhaustion but I couldn't afford to slow down. Sprinting as a lucario was at least twice as fast as sprinting in my human form; it was so exhilarating. I saw the Pokémon make a final jump to a bigger tree before a strong rush of wind threw me off balance and into a tree where my left shoulder hit, turning my body into a rag doll as I flipped/spun onto the ground with all my speed before coming to a rest on my stomach, about fifteen metres away from the point of contact.

Again the wind was on the Pokémon's side. I groaned as I pushed my head off the grass using my arms and to all fours, shaking my head from the leaves and dirt after doing so. I swear I'll catch that thing one day.

Now, I thought about getting up to follow it again, but my ears perked up when I heard sobbing in the distance and decided not to. I looked to my right to the view of more trees, where I heard a girl silently crying, and rose to my feet. I frowned when I realized the unknown Pokémon was long gone before walking toward the sounds of the girl.

Being myself, I was always one to help people in their time of need, especially if they were hurt. However, helping people has gotten me in trouble on a few occasions, most of them being with my childhood friends who would do something stupid or someone who manages to benefit off it.

I rounded and past a few trees before discovering someone's traveling bag on the ground, noticing a figure just behind a tree in front of me. Carefully walking closer, the person's back was leaning on the tree facing me, tightly hugging an espeon in her arms. The espeon discovered me before I could verify my guesses of the person. I was caught off guard when the espeon aggressively jumped out of the girl's arms, tackling me in the stomach and onto the ground...again.

"You!" she, Linx, screamed. I recovered but as soon as I reopened my eyes, Linx took a paw and slashed me across my left eye with her claws. In response, I tightly closed my eyes once again from the stinging and remained still, growling inwardly, not bothering to fight back since I probably know why she did it. The cut wasn't as painful as I thought it'd be but that didn't mean it didn't hurt and I was lucky that she only hit just above and below my eye.

Assuming it was Farrah, I heard her gasp and soon felt the four legs of Linx suddenly lift off my stomach all at once. Using aura, I confirmed it was Farrah, noticing the amount of aura radiating from her lessoned but covered with negative feelings that made me feel a little depressed.

"C-cyan?" Farrah asked with a low voice that held the after-effects of crying.

Feeling blood trail down the side of my face where the cut was, I didn't bother using my left eye. Instead, I opened the other, lifting myself to a sitting position with one arm to the sight of Farrah holding Linx. Farrah's face was bright red from her recent crying while reflective trails of tears fell from her eyes down her cheeks. My heart stopped when I realized it was her, bringing a paw up to the fresh cut just to feel how badly it was. Farrah lowered Linx onto the grass and suddenly rushed to give me a tight hug that forced both of us to the ground. She had her head just above my shoulder and her short hair in my neck, resuming her sobbing again while she shook after every breath.

Because I encountered her so quickly, I was at a loss for words. But...did it lead me to her?

"I...I-I'm so sorry," she wept. "S-sorry."

I couldn't understand why she was apologising. Farrah's hair was all I could see when I tried making eye contact. "Hey," I started off slowly, hesitantly placing a paw on her back for comfort. "It's alright."

"Y-you're the only friend I-I have Cyan." Farrah continued, shaking and sniffling. "She almost took you...I...I should have done something."

"...It wasn't your fault Farrah," I mentally replied softly, encouraging her to look at me face to face to which, she eventually did with multiple trails of tears rushing down both semi-red eyes.

Instantly, she gasped at the sight of my bleeding eye and quickly hid her sorrows. "W-what happened?"

From my good eye, I saw Linx right behind Farrah who shrunk the moment my cut was mentioned, knowing that her trainer wouldn't be too happy about it. Linx kept her eyes from mine, looking at fault and afraid. Farrah took a cloth from her pocket and began padding away the blood, still waiting for an answer.

Saving Linx from being scolded, I decided, making sure that the espeon will hear. "I hit a tree head first a while ago."

She sniffed again, pausing to free her eyes from tears before rising to tend to her bag. In front of me, Linx glared at me with surprise, apparently in shock about my answer. Farrah came walking back with her bag in one hand and a potion in the other. I lifted myself to a sitting position again before she knelt down beside me, placing the bag down to pull out a clean cloth.

"Close your eye," she softly spoke. I followed instruction and a moment later, she prayed my cut with the bottle. The stinging from the potion felt worse than the cut itself as I tightened my eyes further in reaction and unintentionally growled inwardly. After carefully cleaning the cut, she took a length of white medical cloth and used it to cover my eye from around my head, in between my ears. "Okay...k-keep that on for a while." I reopened my right eye while keeping the left closed, finding her placing the used item back into her bag.

"Are you feeling better?" I asked, even though the same question chould be directed toward me.

Finally, she smiled and nodded a little, sharing the same thought I did while holding back a giggle. "Yeah."

Linx walked on over and brushed up against Farrah's side, gazing up with an apologetic expression. "It was me...I hurt him." Try as she might, Farrah won't understand what she just said. Instead, she was picked up and hugged before Farrah looked at me. An awkward silence followed as I couldn't think of anything to say. I could ask about the whereabouts of Lerane but it seemed like it wasn't the right topic to bring up; yet it was the only topic that I could think of.

"I'm glad you're back," she smiled warmly, lowering down to a comfortable sitting position. "I had no idea where to go when you left."

"That can be said about both of us." With the three of us there, we didn't mind the light rain falling down upon us. Honestly, I totally forgot it was raining until now. "Well, are you up to keep going?"

She looked at me wide eyed at the question, like she never considered it. "Where?"

I stood up, trying to be optimistic, "you did want to become a trainer, right? Let's make our way to Violet City," offering my paw to help her off the ground.

Wiping her eyes again, she smiled and accepted it. "Ok...let's go."

((((()))))

We found our way back to Route 30, only myself and Farrah. She recalled Linx back into her Pokéball before we left because Farrah didn't know why the espeon was feeling so down. It showed that Linx regretted what she did earlier since she didn't expect me to tell the truth. I will have to talk about that with her later.

It still continued to drizzle with rain, making my fur moisten up. "Cyan?" Farrah asked out of her silence, walking along with me by her side.

"Yeah?"

She turned her eyes to the ground, deep in thought. "There's something I need to tell you, about what happened yesterday."

"What is it?"

"Well...after Lerane threw the Pokéball, usually, wild Pokémon stay inside until they're caught...like I've seen before." She changed her gaze from the ground to me, "but, as soon as you entered the Pokéball, it cracked and let you out."

I frowned, confused. "Pokéballs break if it fails though."

She nodded, "yeah but when it closed, it let you back out right away; the Pokeball's light didn't flash or anything. They don't work on people or caught Pokémon right?"

"That's right."

"But since you're neither, it should have at least tried...but it didn't." She looked toward the cloudy sky, trying to figure out the puzzle; it too confused me.

If it registered me as a Pokémon and worked, but instantly let me out right after...then it detected an error. That would explain why the Pokéball broke. Does that alone mean I can't get captured?

She stopped abruptly, soon followed by me noticing. "You want test to see if it does the same thing?" pulling out a Pokéball from her pocket, holding it up.

I glared at it, not wanting to experience the high pitched static and the flashing images again; I swear that kind of thing will cause a seizure. For the sake of confirming what she told me though, I nodded. Farrah walked up to me then lightly tapped the device on my fur, inducing a red beam from its core that covered my whole body like it should. Before I knew it, my senses felt like they were suddenly taken away from me. It felt like I was sleeping for a second or two before that familiar ear-bleeding high pitched static filled my sense of hearing while various sceneries displayed in a matter of milliseconds, each flashing in quick succession. It felt like it should've been painful yet I didn't feel anything until the world came back to me in my normal senses.

My ears perked up at Farrah's sigh before I saw her in front of me again. "Same thing."

"You sound disappointed," I mentally replied, tilting my head at her comment.

She produced a guilty smile, fiddling with a strand of hair. "Well...I was hoping it would work for me. Then you could be my official partner."

I couldn't help but grin, "oh don't worry; I'll be around. But it's a relief to know it won't work."

Since the Pokéball was now broken, a couple visible cracks across the device, Farrah placed it back into her bag before mentioning me to follow her down the path. I then recalled the night I first met Farrah, more specifically what her dad tried doing. "I'm not sure if you know this," I started, forcing her curiosity. "But your dad tried."

Her expression slightly depressed in reaction, gazing to the ground. "...I remember." Silence soon followed while it continued to drizzle as we walked along; the rain wasn't helping the mood. Farrah's aura increased drastically since I reunited back with her, but the feelings she gave off from just remembering, it was extremely depressing and miserable.

"I shouldn't have brought it up," I said truthfully as my ears and posture fell. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she spoke softly with reassuring smile. "Remember it was you who protected me. I can't forget that."

Yet, she still found something positive to say after all that tension I felt in her feelings. Never will I be able to easily break away from those sort of thoughts the way she did.

A few more lengthy turns in the path, Sprout Tower began rising up from the masses of trees. In about another hour or two we'll be there, but the moment we past a faint dirt trail off to the right of the path, a boy jumped from his hiding place behind a tree and blocked the way in front.

"YOU! I trained for a week to make my Pokémon stronger! I challenge you to a battle!" he yelled, pointing a finger a Farrah.

Was he serious? A WHOLE week? That kid looked like he should be going to school being around eleven years old. If Flame or the others were with me now, this kid would've thought twice before challenging me. Farrah on the other hand, was inexperienced and new to the whole traveling and battling type deal, so this was a perfect start for her and Linx. Linx however must have at least some battling experience since she IS an espeon; one evolution of eevee.

Farrah didn't look all that excited. "Umm, ok."

The whole idea of battling made her look uneasy as she gazed down at me for guidance. Encouragement was all she really needed, "go ahead and battle with Linx. If you need help, I think I'll manage to beat him up for you."

That did the trick. Farrah giggled, backing up to release her espeon who also, looked at me sadly momentarily before figuring out that she was about to have a battle. The kid had his eyes fixed on me the whole time with his mouth wide open, finally noticing the espeon in front of him before throwing a Pokéball onto the dirt, releasing the Pokémon inside.

"Go Pidgy!"

I lowered and shook my head at his choice. The usual, I guess. Something tells me this is his first time.

As I predicted, Farrah won the battle hands down even though it was two on one. The kid also caught a common rattata which was also weak. The only interesting part of the battle was watching Linx's speed and agility. The kid returned his fainted Pokémon before rambling on about how good of a trainer Farrah was, oblivious to the fact that she too was a rookie trainer. While that was going on, I heard feint padding, then...

"CYAN!"

My ears perked up and I turned just in time to catch an airborne poochyena in my arms. I was completely taken aback. "Wild! What are you doing here?"

The little guy happily gazed up at me, "It was too lonely there. I wanted to come with you!"

"I thought you wanted to wait for your trainer. Did he come back?"

His ears drooped before noticing the cloth on my head. "No...Umm, Cyan?...What's wrong with your eye?"

I sighed but smirked. "It's a long story." It wasn't but I didn't feel like talking about it; what's done is done.

"Oh," he wondered. "Well, you were actually nice to me...and I was scared when you left; I didn't want you to leave. So I followed you!"

"Hey!" Farrah exclaimed, walking over as I noticed the rookie trainer and Linx were missing. "Who's that cute little guy?" She curiously lowered her head close to Wild who curled up in response, clearly afraid of strangers. "Do you know him?"

"Yeah. His name's Wild; he's a poochyena I met last night."

"Hi Wild!" she happily greeted, "nice to meet you!"

After examining Farrah, he looked up at me again for an answer. "It's okay Wild, she's my friend. Her name is Farrah; she's nice too."

"Really?" he asked, switching back to Farrah shyly. "ugh...hi."

Farrah looked up, "what did he say?"

"He says hi," I translated.

"Aww, he's so cute. Is he coming with us?"

At first thought, I assumed he would be but I asked him to make sure and he nodded in excitement. It occurred to me that he was caught once already; which means that if his previous trainer didn't release him from the Pokéball properly, Farrah's Pokéball wouldn't work. "Wild?" I started. "Is it ok for Farrah here to train you? I'll be with you all the time anyway."

"Ok!"

I made sure Farrah knew what I said so when she started talking about how much fun they were going to have, it wasn't awkward. She started petting Wild on the head, which he enjoyed, before pulling out a Pokéball from her bag. "Well Wild, welcome to the group!" With that, she tapped the device on his back as I watched, hoping that it would work. Luckily though, it did. The Pokéball engulfed him in a red beam and transferred him into energy before entering the sphere, out of my arms. Since it was voluntary on Wild's side, the Pokéball skipped the capture process and immediately registered him. I was happy he was now with us. The thought of leaving him behind was bugging me since I left him this morning.

Farrah angled the Pokéball towards her, "don't worry Wild. I'll take good care of you."

I simply smiled as the light wind and rain continued.

((((()))))

The doors to Violet City's Pokémon Centre slid open automatically, welcoming us into a warm and comfortable interior. The building didn't hold as many trainers as I seen before; being only three trainers with their Pokémon. Other than that, a different Nurse Joy along with a couple chansey went about their jobs behind the service counter. I shivered as soon as I stepped foot into the building, the moisture of the rain finally getting through my fur. Linx and Wild were currently in each of their Pokéballs so that just left Farrah and myself. It was still very cloudy outside but at least the rain subsided fifteen minutes ago. I was beginning to feel hungry too since it was early evening and I haven't had anything to eat since that morning.

She sighed, stretching. "Finally...Well, while Nurse Joy heals you and the other two, I'll get us a room."

The quicker Joy looks at my eye, the quicker I can take the cloth off; it was starting to bother me. "Alright. You want to go eat after that?"

"You betcha'. Here, let me take the bag while you're in there" she said, taking the bag from my paw when I took it off before making our way to the service desk.

Nurse Joy looked up from her paperwork and smiled brightly, "welcome! How may I help you?"

"Could you look after my Pokémon for me?" Farrah asked politely.

"Certainly! Are you from the Sinnoh region?"

"No, I was born and raised in Cherrygrove."

"We don't see very many lucario here." Joy looked at me, immediately noticing the cloth on my head. "May I ask what happened to your lucario?"

Farrah gave me a confused look, not knowing what to say until a moment or two later. "Um...it was from a battle. His eye got hurt pretty badly."

Joy nodded in understanding. "I see. I'll take a look right away. Do you want to leave any more Pokémon?"

"Just two more," my friend replied, pulling out Linx and Wild's Pokéball before setting them on the counter in front of the nurse. "Can I get a room too please?"

"Certainly!" Joy pointed to our right towards a staircase. On the wall beside it was another receptionist sitting behind a tall desk. "If you go to that counter there, she can arrange that."

"Ok, thank you."

"You're very welcome. May I have your lucario's Pokéball please?"

Since I didn't have one, Farrah didn't know what to say. All she did was gaze at the shiny floor trying to think of something. "Well...you see...I don't have his Pokéball with me right now."

Joy simply smiled in understanding, "that's ok! Your name?"

"Farrah."

"Excellent! Once your Pokémon are healed, I'll page you." Nurse Joy picked up the two Pokéballs and mentioned me to follow into the back patient rooms. Farrah gave me a quick nod and a smile before walking off to reception. "This way Lucario," Joy encouraged, waiting for me outside her desk until I followed.

Once we entered a fairly large patient room, Joy placed both Pokéballs into the regular healing station on one side of the room near a window before telling me to sit up on a hospital bed made not for people, but for smaller Pokémon. I sighed as I easily jumped up onto the white sheets. Everything was just bigger than I was and I still wasn't over that fact. I had to look up at Joy in order to see her face when she stood in front of me; even then I was on a raised patient bed.

"Ok Lucario," she started, wearing her usual comforting smile. "Hold still and I'll take a look." With extreme care, she cut the old cloth and removed it, revealing the cut across my eye. After cleaning the wound, she took a spray more advanced than a potion and carefully covered the cut with the substance. She held a hand on my forehead while I tightened my eyes with the burning sensation I was feeling, growling inwardly. "You're doing well Lucario!" Joy supported, making sure it was well cleaned and healed as best she could before removing her hand. The spray and cleaning supplies were placed on a portable table before the nurse found a new cloth, tying it around my head like before but more efficiently, all to my disappointment. After that was done, she tended to my other minor cuts and bruises. Forty-five minutes later, she was done with me and the other two, holding out to me what looks like a poffin in her hand. "Because you are so good, here's something that you might like!"

I took it in both paws in order to hold the round red treat before sniffing the sweet scent it held. I honestly never tried a poffin before since they are made exclusively for Pokémon, but after a moment or two, I popped it into my mouth; it wouldn't hurt to try. My taste buds were in paradise when I started chewing it. The treat held the softness of marshmallows and the taste of a sweet kind of bread; it was so good! I must have been making some sort of noise since Joy instantly giggled and knew I enjoyed it.

She took a hand and scratched behind my tall ears where it felt really good as another reward. "I'll go tell Farrah to come get you and the others," Joy said, leaving the room with both Linx and Wild's Pokéballs in a tray. With her job done, I followed her then made my way toward the main lobby. I figured Farrah would be either there or the cafeteria. The only people in or around the lobby were a couple trainers and the receptionist in the corner. Outside, it was getting dark, noticing the street lights lit and the evening atmosphere around the centre as a few people walked about in the light rain with umbrellas above their heads. Unfortunetely Farrah wasn't there so I made for the windowed corner of the centre where semi-fancy furniture were placed consisting of a padded booth, a long couch, coffee table, and an armchair where they sat angled towards a flat screen television on the wall.

Nobody used that corner so I took a seat on the couch. The channel on T.V. wasn't all that interesting; it was a newscast covering upcoming major events all around the region, from simple Pokémon tournaments to festivals. Farrah came walking down the stairs a while later, after hearing her name paged, then to the front desk. She then noticed me in the corner of the lobby after getting the two Pokéballs and walked on over.

"Feeling better?" she asked, standing near the couch I was on.

Establishing a fresh telepathic connection between us, I nodded. "The cut wasn't too bad so she got done quickly."

"That's good. I got a room and some food for us upstairs."

The mention of food motivated me to get up but the news on T.V. captured my interest:

"The recent weather in the Johto region," the news lady started, "has been questioned as unnatural and fierce. There has been recent panic in Olivine City for its residents to evacuate due to flooding."

What? A flood? I moved closer to the television as Farrah gasped.

"Pokémon and people were forced into higher ground when water levels began to rise yesterday and continued." Afternoon pictures of the flood replaced the news lady, showing only the city's lighthouse, boats, and tall buildings above water. "As you can see, local authorities have closed off the city, Route 38, and the waterway to the island. No news as of yet from Cianwood City but we will keep you informed as it arrives. Please refrain from traveling to those two cities."

I lowered my head. Never have I heard of a flood in Johto. Sure it has happened before in the past but not in a century.

"I hope everyone got out ok," Farrah spoke up, clearly affected by the sudden news. I turned my head and nodded in agreement. My uncle and his family lived in a house near the city; his home was higher up in the hills though...Still...I was worried for them.

"C'mon," Farrah softly said, "let's go eat."

Once we entered our room in the second floor, I ate some berries and fruit for supper (which filled me up quite easily) and Farrah had soup from the cafeteria downstairs. This room only had two single beds, one on each side of the small room.

Farrah was sitting on her bed, just finishing tallying up all our supplies, including the ones from my bag, while I sat on the other bed with my back to the wall and tail sticking out from the side, mindlessly playing around with my Pokédex. Suddenly she stood up and slipped on her shoes without her jacket, forcing me to look up in curiosity. "I'll be right back," she declared and left, closing the door behind her without waiting for an answer. Yawning, I went back to playing with the Pokédex.

The door opened slightly with Farrah peeking behind it five minutes later. "Cyan?"

"Yeah?"

"I want you to close your eyes ok?" My initial thought was why but I was getting tired to not care enough, so I did.

"Ok...Now what?" I replied telepathically.

I heard the door close and movement along the carpet. "Ok. Open them!"

You mean open the only one as the other was covered...

I did as told again and saw a chocolate cupcake with a lit candle in the middle of it held in front of my face by Farrah. Looking up from the cupcake to her, I tilted my head, puzzled. "What's the occasion?"

She frowned, "you don't know? Yesterday was your birthday wasn't it?"

"Yeah but...how did you know?"

"I umm..." she started, biting her lip. "I looked at your Pokédex and saw your information on it."

"Oh," I simply replied, taking the pastry from her and grinned before blowing out the fire. "Thank you."

Smiling brightly, "you're welcome. Happy belated birthday Cyan!" Farrah went back to her bag atop her bed and pulled out pajamas before heading to the bathroom. It was unexpected that she got me this cupcake, but nice and thoughtful.

After I finished it, I placed the Pokédex onto the surface of a table where a lamp was placed and turned its light off, laying back on the soft mattress and blankets. Sleeping in a bed rather than in a cave really makes a difference, or outside in a sleeping bag for that matter. Once I closed my eye, I thought about the future. Maybe Farrah will want to challenge the gym tomorrow...but only with Linx and Wild? The city's gym leader isn't too tough but he's no pushover. And I don't think I'll be able to help yet.

What about...my mother and sister? I sighed as I felt a chill down my spine. My mother must be in shock by now. Explaining my situation with her won't help things...

After a while, the darkness got to me as I began to feel tired. And before I knew it, I was out for the night.


	12. Chapter 12

"Are you ready Wild?"

"Yeah, let's do it!"

I stood up from my knelt position to the view of the practice battlefield, making sure Wild's condition was well enough and clarifying that he has, in fact, battled before. Farrah stood opposite of us with a hand on her hip waiting while Linx calmly sat on her respective area. We were behind the Pokémon Centre where the practice fields were on a rare sunny day. Nobody else besides us occupied the grounds so that gave us even more room to do as we please. It was myself and Wild against Farrah and Linx.

"It looks weird," Farrah shouted from the other side, "seeing you acting like a trainer when you're a lucario."

"Acting?" I retorted mentally at her. "Who suggested we practice before you challenge the gym in the first place? I _am _a trainer." Wild sat and looked back at me with a tilted head. Guess I never did tell the pup the truth. I eyed him for a second then focused my sight back to Farrah, making sure only the poochyena would hear me momentarily. "I'll tell you what she meant later Wild. Let's just have some fun right now." Apparently it did the trick because he started panting excitedly and got up to all fours in a battle stance.

Farrah just smiled in response and waited patiently for the battle to begin.

Since we arrived here in Violet City a couple days ago, we have done nothing but train Wild and Linx for their upcoming battle against the city's flying type gym leader. Also, I have been working on aura vision and sphere; improving them to the point where the attack would serve a purpose in a battle and the second vision widened so I could see out further, especially useful at night. What I'm hesitant about though is battling myself. It was only once that I was forced to, but even then I didn't stick around to try win; I couldn't.

The test I had in mind for Farrah was to give Wild his instruction without making the moves known. In this case: cutting off my telepathy with everyone except Wild. With that in mind, I started off the battle without a moment's notice. "Let's go Wild. Tackle."

I grinned when she was caught completely off guard by staring off into the distance, but luckily for her, Linx smoothly avoided the attack. "Hey, I wasn't ready!" she yelled at me. "Use Quick Attack!"

"Quickly, Howl!" Wild did as told and let out an intimidating cry towards the sky for a few seconds before Linx slammed into his side, appearing out from nowhere. The poor pup slid a few metres on his back but instantly returned on all fours again, staring down the espeon not angrily but annoyed.

It took Farrah a little while to realize I never called out any moves publically. The irritated glare she gave me told it all; what I _wasn't_ doing was definitely a first for her, battle wise anyway. "Psybeam Linx!"

"Swagger." That was one of the moves Wild learned from his previous trainer, which is quite an effective move given the perfect opportunity. I was relieved when the pup acted quicker than Linx because he dug his paws into the ground, lowered, and glared at his opponent before she began to initiate the psychic move. One single glance into the poochyena's eyes was all it took to make Linx really angry to the point of confusion. What I seen Linx do was nothing out of the ordinary when trapped within confusion; I've seen it many times before. The stored energy from her Psybeam was unleashed straight into the air caused by the confusion. It looked like she was attacking a nonexistent being that was flying all around her, which looked ridiculous.

"Snap out of it Linx! There's nothing there!" It was no use. Linx wasn't listening at all in her anger induced state; my perfect time to strike with Wild's strongest move.

"Shadow Ball," I confidently sent into his mind. Opening his jaw, dark coloured energy began building up into an uneasy sphere near his maw until he was the pup was satisfied. Then he launched the sphere forward at the confused espeon, landing a direct hit, knocking her down from the small explosion. Clearly the attack did a lot of damage because she barely had enough energy to get back up. Still, Linx was confused and began swaying back and forth in an attempt to stay still.

A little upset seeing her Pokémon hurt and confused, Farrah groaned under pressure and froze. In the corner of my eye, I noticed a few bystanders that stopped by to watch where it was once empty. Apparently, a mother and her two small daughters walked by and was drawn in from the battle. The two girls cheered for their fellow female and started yelling out all sorts of encouraging comments to Farrah. Every once in a while, the two girls would eye the three of us Pokémon in happiness like they've never seen us before. I merely grinned at their playful atmosphere.

"Uhhh, Cyan?" I focused back to the battle at the mention of my name, just in time to see Wild barely avoid a Psybeam before it was my turn to get out of its path. Had to quickly sidestep since the attack nearly hit my head. Luckily though, the three family members watched from the side of the field instead of one of the ends; they're supposed to anyway.

"Sorry Wild. One more Shadow Ball should do it," I responded, just after Linx got her senses back.

And just like he did before, another Shadow Ball formed near his maw, growing in siz-

Then it hit me, like one powerful title wave of uneasiness and panic. The area no longer felt safe. I searched around vigorously for anything suspicious that was the cause of the source but didn't find anything out of the ordinary. The fear felt like someone was cornering me on the side of a cliff with no hope of escaping the fall. My heart raced, making the blood flow faster inside me as I continued searching the vicinity in panic. Who was causing this? WHAT WAS CAUSING THIS AND WHY? It felt so bad that I truly believed that this was a life and death situation. How could Linx and Wild not feel the same way? Was it because they were in the heat of the battle? WHAT WAS IT? I clenched my head and shut my one available eye tight, wishing for this intense feeling to leave me.

And it did, just like that. Vanished as quickly as it came. I realized my breathing was rapid when I opened my eye again. Everyone there, including the two Pokémon, casted me worrisome gazes after I caught Farrah finishing a sentence or question.

"What's wrong with him mommi?" one of the girls pointed at me.

"I don't know sweetie."

"Linx, Wild, stop," Farrah ordered, carefully picking up the weak espeon before walking over. "What's wrong?"

I took deep breaths, making sure to calm my body down after what felt like an adrenaline rush. "I...I'm not sure," I mentally answered, holding a paw up to my forehead. "You didn't feel that?" Judging by her reaction, it was a no. Still, she shook her head.

"Are you going to be ok?"

"I think...I'll be fine." One quick glance to the Pokémon in her arms and I realized it wasn't me she should be worried about. "Go get Wild and Linx healed up. I'll be outside."

"...o-ok. Come on Wild," she instructed softly, giving me one last worrying glance before they headed into the rear access of the facility. The family that was watching before weren't watching now; I guess they went their separate way.

I carefully walked over to a few trees outside the practice grounds and sat against one of them, alert to my surroundings. The area wasn't at all suspicious, same with its aura. I couldn't help but relate the feeling I just experienced to the sudden suffering on my last day with Dawn. Except, this time I didn't feel any pain, only pure panic. I took a deep sigh, shutting my eye to improve my calming state. What I needed though was to divert my thoughts away from the negative ones. Like Farrah's upcoming gym battle, for starters. Will Linx and Wild be enough to challenge the leader and come out victorious? Probably. Falkner specializes in flying type Pokémon. It won't be too much of a challenge for her. I know it wasn't for me when I first battled him with Flame, Luxray, and Pidgeot (All in their first evolutionary forms).

Sitting around trees always had a calming effect on me; its shade always kept me cool on hot days and the leaves provided shelter many times along my journey. Having fewer people around helped too as they all took to the walkways headed to shops and whatnot. The local Pokémon seemed to be enjoying the sunny day as much as I was. It could be sunny or cloudy though, it does not rid the problems that I kept having.

Farrah exited the Pokémon Centre about ten minutes later, without Linx or Wild, and spotted me before walking over. She found a spot next to me, twirled and sat down, legs extended out while she sat against the tree like I did, relaxed. "Still feeling alright?"

I nodded with my sight kept on the sky above. "Yeah, guess it was a one-time thing."

Farrah sighed and laid her head back against the tree, her aura changing from one of concern to relaxation, happiness, and nervousness. We both sat in silence afterwards, enjoying the breeze that passed through the mazes of her hair and my fur, making them sway peacefully. If only I could use both of my eyes to enjoy the sky while it was still blue. Nurse Joy did mention that it was getting removed either today or tomorrow, which I couldn't wait for. Linx wouldn't leave me alone about that subject either which becomes annoying at times; I constantly tell her it's fine.

My attention fell from the sky to my left paw which Farrah picked up without warning, examining/fiddling with my paw spike.

"I'm still fascinated by this," she commented, feeling how pointy the top of the spike was with a finger. "Does it hurt?"

I shook my head. "Never."

"Your hand - I mean - paw, is warm, but the spike is cold." Makes sense when I think about it, although it is connected to my body which might get at least some heat. Farrah gazed into my eye, "so it doesn't hurt when you try move it around?"

"Nope. Look." To demonstrate, I took my paw from her hands and tried shifting the spike without moving my whole paw, but it was pointless. The spike must be fused together with the bones of the paw. "I can't move the spike at all without moving my entire paw."

Satisfied with my demonstration, she switched to my chest spike, leaning in for a better view. I shifted my chin up and away from her, towards the side, feeling slightly uncomfortable with how close she's getting. "Hmmm," she mumbled.

"Miss Farrah!" There couldn't have been a better time to get out of that awkward situation. We both turned our heads to the source of the voice, who turned out to be Nurse Joy standing in between a half opened door of the Pokémon Centre. "Your Pokémon are ready!" she waved with her usual smile. Right on cue, Wild dashed out of the centre past Nurse Joy at her feet then to my direction before Linx leisurely padded out shortly after. Farrah finally shifted her body away from mine, thanking the nurse for her work with a 'thank you'.

"Cyan!" With speed, Wild rushed around Farrah before almost head-butting me in the stomach with all the excitement. The little ball of fur happily jumped into my arms, wagging his tail. Made me chuckle at how loyal and playful he was as I scratched behind his ears and neck, to which he enjoyed. "When are you going to battle? I want to see you!" he panted, looking at me with eyes full of anticipation.

"Well, it could be a while before that happens," I replied unenthusiastically.

"Aww, c'mon!"

"Maybe someday Wild," I patted him. "But you have a big battle soon to focus on."

"Can't you show me one attack you know? Please?"

I sighed with a smile on my face. He was determined to see me in a Pokémon battle, and extremely curious too; didn't take an aura read to tell that. "I'll tell you what. If you win the gym battle today, I'll show you. Ok?"

He jumped with added excitement and determination. "Ok! I won't lose!"

"Sounds good," I smiled, ruffling the fur near his ears.

"Well," Farrah stood up, returning Linx to her Pokéball. "Shall we?"

"Alright." With the pup still in my arms, I stood onto my toes as I normally do and followed Farrah out of the Pokémon Centre grounds.

The aura I felt from Farrah was getting to me; a rush of nervousness and slight excitement. "Relax," I finally sent into her mind once we stepped onto the street.

She gasped faintly from out of her thoughtful expression and gazed at me. "I'm sorry. Am I showing it that much?"

"Well, no, but I could feel it in your aura."

"Aura?" Farrah tilted her head.

I nodded. "Yeah. I don't fully understand it either but you can say I can 'see' aura. Every living being around has one and I can sense feelings within them. That's how I know you're nervous right now."

"So...you know how I'm feeling all the time?" she asked slowly.

Another nod from me. "Pretty much."

"Oh...is that something all lucario could do?"

"That's what the Pokédex told me, yeah."

"I...never knew you could do that all this time," her gaze falling to the ground, which confused me. I never told her about aura?

Suddenly, Wild shifted his position in my arms to try hide himself as best he could. When I looked down, he had his face buried and hidden within himself. I never knew he wasn't good with crowds; if I knew he would be inside his Pokéball. Guess I could relate since nearly everyone around was giving us wondrous glares. I couldn't care less however. As long as they don't do anything stupid, they could stare all they want. Farrah too seemed to have gotten used to the reactions as well.

I leaned forward to try look at her face which she still held down. "Does it bother you?"

Farrah went wide eyed and immediately stood up straight, shaking her head. "No-no. It doesn't," she tried covering up with a smile. It felt she was keeping something from me, a piece of the puzzle that I don't know of or understand yet. She looked ahead and gasped. "Look! There it is!"

Wild instantly raised his head and ears from hiding and found the same building Farrah did; Falkner's gym. The tall building was coloured a relaxing shade of blue all around the structure and windows on each floor allowed residents inside to gaze through. A unique looking gym for Johto if you ask me.

Once we entered through the front doors of the gym we found ourselves in front of a desk, behind it, elevators for residents and challengers. The battlefield at this gym though, was on the roof of the building, filled with training gear and audience stands. There, flying types could use their attacks to full potential rather than battling indoors.

"Hello," the female receptionist behind the counter greeted to us.

"Hi," Farrah answered. "I've come to challenge the gym leader, please."

Wow, talk about formalities. Last time I came, I went straight up to find the leader without acknowledging the workers.

"Of course! Falkner is in today so if you just go right around and use the elevators at the back, he'll be happy to battle you!"

Wild jumped out from my arms excitedly and ran straight where the worker pointed, followed by Farrah and I. Farrah called the elevator using a button on the wall and its doors opened with a signal. We entered and I saw all the buttons for each floor respectively; twenty-three floors. She pushed the one for the roof and off we went upwards. Wild freaked out for a few seconds when he found out the box we were in started moving but still managed to keep most of his cool.

"What happens if I lose Cyan? If I had badges, do I lose them if I don't win?" she asked out from our silence with a red, anxious face.

I placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort and gazed up at her. "No, you wouldn't. Just try to relax Farrah. Think of this battle as any other, like the time you beat that kid badly on the way here," I tried encouraging through a little humour.

She smiled but exhaled deeply. "Ok."

"_GPS tracking active._" My ears perked up immediately when I heard my Pokédex make a sudden announcement.

"What was that?" Farrah asked immediately.

A quick turn to glance behind my shoulder, I waited for another message but none came. I frowned, "my Pokédex...I believe." That was odd; only once has the device ever done that without turning it on...

The elevator slowed its ascent eventually to a stop before it opened its sliding doors, revealing a blue sky and decent sized dirt battlefield with spectator stands all around.

"Huh," she shrugged, switching her attention to the view in front of us. I too, disregarded the matter for another time as we walked forward to the field, noticing the blue-haired gym leader at work with an electric panel on the wall as well as a few other workers off to the side. Wild rushed to the middle and barked at the gym leader, receiving his attention almost instantly.

"Well," Falkner stared, facing us fully. "I'm assuming your here for a shot at the Zephyr Badge!"

Farrah merely nodded with slightly redder face.

"A poochyena AND a lucario, rare Pokémon in these parts. It has been some time since I last seen such uncommon Pokémon," he commented on the obvious, making his way to his side of the field before nodding to an official who was with the other workers.

I nearly had to push the nervous girl to her side of the field. All she was doing was fiddling with her hair and biting her lip.

"May I have the challenger's name?" the official yelled from the sidelines.

My friend was motionless for a second before answering him. "Umm, it's Farrah."

The official held two flags in his hands, one green and the other red. "The battle between Farrah, the challenger, and Falkner, the Violet City gym leader will soon commence! Each side are allowed two Pokémon each, however, only the challenger may switch Pokémon at any time!" He held his flags up in the air, "begin!"


	13. Chapter 13

Remember me? nethowin here, finally with another chapter. I've been working on two addition FF projects while writing this one, so...that's my excuse! XD

As always, enjoy.

* * *

"Ok Pidgeotto," Falkner spoke confidently to a Pokéball he produced from his belt. "Let's go!" he yelled, throwing the sphere high into the air where it burst open, releasing an eager bird Pokémon from within that hovered smoothly in place.

Surprisingly Wild bravely held his ground at the bird's shrilling cry. Instead, Wild casted the pidgeotto glares like it stole his food. I was anxious to witness Farrah's first gym battle. Personally, I don't think she'll have much of a problem judging from her recent battles; she'll do just fine...The nervousness radiating off her will eventually leave once the battle commences.

"You may have the first move!" the leader yelled from across the field with arms crossed, mumbling something afterwards. I can clearly see his interest with the 'rare' Pokémon he's up against.

"Remember to use stat changing moves too," I mentally advised my friend, adjusting the cloth that covered my left eye to a more comfortable position. "Use them when you see a chance before attacking directly."

Something clicked in her mind and feelings before she gave me a understanding look. "Like what you did to Linx..."

"Yes, exactly," I nodded.

"Ok, I know what you mean. Wild, Howl!" It looked like Wild received a rush of adrenaline when he dug his claws into the dirt, howling loudly to the heavens above. The poochyena's aggressiveness rose as did his confidence.

Falkner snickered. "Let's _not_ waste time. Wing Attack!" With speed, the pidgeotto took a steep dive with wings that started glowing bright white straight into Wild, who nearly avoided the attack but couldn't. The Wing Attack clipped Wild's back and he was knocked over.

Farrah let out a sigh of relief when he quickly returned to all fours again. Finger pointed forward, she didn't hesitate. "Quickly, Tackle it!"

Wild rushed to the pidgeotto who was finishing its move but failed to reach the Pokémon because it stayed clear by simply flying away. I frowned and resisted the urge to shake my head at Farrah's call. "Using Tackle against a flying type doesn't really-"

"I know I know," Farrah interrupted quickly, eyes to the ground, thinking. "It was a stupid call."

I switched my sight on the battle and found Wild growling at Pidgeotto, obviously annoyed that a flying type could fly.

"Heat Wave."

What? There's no way that a pidgeotto mastered that move already! My eye went wide as I observed Pidgeotto fly around, looking for an opening...or building heat, I don't know. Wild too was confused but this was a powerful, not to mention painful, move that could do a number on Wild if its direct. Anxiety was building up in my heart. Does Farrah have a counter-attack prepared? Was she even paying attenti-

"Farrah! Focus!" I yelled into her mind, snapping her back into reality the second Pidgeotto took yet another dive.

Farrah gasped, immediately narrowed her eyes from the ground to the battle. Thankfully, she acted quickly. "Wild, run beneath him to dodge!" Smart call. Wild wasted no time obeying and did as told, nearly missing the bird Pokémon's talons above as it landed where he was seconds ago. "Use Swagger!"

With the pup's speed, he mirrored the same move that he used on Linx earlier that day and glared at the pidgeotto with menacing eyes. One second the bird Pokémon opened its mouth for the attack, and the next it shot the Heat Wave hilariously toward Falkner who dove out of the attack's general path. I could tell that he definitely felt some of that heat by the way his clothes moved.

Falkner groaned in slight annoyance, returning to his position. "Cut it out Pidgeotto!"

"Don't give him the chance to recover," I suggested.

Farrah nodded, "right. Tackle it Wild!"

"Pidgeotto, Twister!"

Unfortunately Wild couldn't reach the bird before it whirled up an extremely uneasy twister right in front of him. With all the dust flying around, both Farrah and I had to shield our eyes.

"Run Wild!" Farrah screamed out, but it was too late. The poochyena was already caught inside the twister, throwing the pup around and around without any ground contact whatsoever. It was times like this where it troubled me to watch helplessly when a solution was present, being Wild or my Pokémon; I couldn't help but feel frustrated.

Farrah panicked. "I-I don't know what to do Cyan!"

A unintentional growl escaped my throat as I gritted my sharp teeth. "Get him out of there, now!" Farrah eyed me carefully as I realized what I said scared her to some extent. "Try using Shadow ball to stop the twister," I told her with a more calm tone.

Farrah bit her lip and turned to look at the twister, considering my words. Pidgeotto was still confused since it was having trouble standing behind the twister, thankfully. "Wild! Shoot a Shadow Ball at the ground!" she yelled. The twister was too thick to see anything so I closed my eye and, with aura, saw Wild building up energy around his mouth before firing the ball where Farrah told him to. The result disrupted the twister at its base before dispersing completely, revealing Wild laying motionless on the ground.

The referee stepped to the side and checked to confirm his suspicion. The instant he moved his arm to make the official call, Wild came to and struggled to stand again, his legs shaking the whole time.

"Pidgeotto, Twister once more!"

Another wakeup call from Falkner got Farrah back into the battle again. "C'mon Wild! We can beat him!" Her encouragement helped Wild because he turned to the confused pidgeotto and growled with unsteady movements.

The pidgeotto however, couldn't understand Falkner in its confusion so instead it flew up, started a Wing Attack but fell straight back down thanks to gravity, hurting itself. "Get up!" Falkner yelled at his Pokémon but it didn't listen.

"One more Shadow Ball!" Farrah pointed at the opponent. The dark energy formed around Wild's maw once more before he released it with speed. Direct hit. Pidgeotto received the full strength of the attack and was knocked back, unconscious.

The official raised the green flag that represented Falkner's side. "Pidgeotto is unable to battle!" he declared. "Falkner has one remaining Pokémon!"

Farrah simply smiled even though I expected her to jump with Joy at the first win. A quick glance told me she was still affected by what I said earlier; it was confirmed by her aura. Was I really that harsh? I ignored the thought and returned my attention to the battle; it wasn't over yet. It looked like Wild could only take one more hit. At a closer look, I noticed his legs shake every few seconds.

Falkner didn't take the loss easily. He recalled the fallen pidgeotto without a word and released another Pokémon. This time, a larger flying type Pokémon stood confidently before us, one I've only seen in pictures. "I've done my share of traveling as well!" he yelled to us. "Let's just see how you stand up against Staraptor!"

"Wild is too weak from the last battle," I pointed out. "Better recall h-"

"Use Shadow Ball Wild!" Farrah called out, completely ignoring me. Unbelievable. Was it because of my slight outburst earlier? Another growl escaped my mouth as I narrowed my eye on the battlefield in annoyance, this time, an intentional growl. If Farrah would rather ignore my advice because she can't do well under pressure, than she doesn't need anything from me.

It was useless. A mere glance at the intimidating Pokémon caused Wild to remain stuck in place. He was beginning to get frightened as he shook violently, partly from weakness.

"Aerial Ace." My ears perked up when I heard Falkner barely whisper his command. In two seconds flat, Staraptor flew upwards with a few flaps of its broad wings and a couple more seconds later, the flying type dropped with speed even I could barely see. It was like one moment Wild stood with little to no energy, and the next he was hit hard and sent flying to my corner of the marked battlefield, fainted.

"Poochyena is unable to battle!" the official declared, holding up Farrah's respective flag.

Farrah gasped, holding a hand to her mouth like she couldn't believe what she just saw.

The official eyed Farrah. "Please send out your next Pokémon."

The girl was silent for a few moments before she nodded with a worrisome expression and pulled out Wild's Pokéball, pointing the device at the poochyena. I glared her my feelings from the corner of my uncovered eye. The way she avoided looking at me told me I was right.

Before the red beam left the Pokéball, I quickstepped with my back turned to block its path at the attempted connection. Once it hit my body, the recall failed and the beam disintegrated. Without a word, I walked up to the fainted poochyena and knelt down, carefully placing him in my arms before making my way to a bench on the sidelines. Everyone casted me questionable glances before the official resumed the battle again by reminding Farrah to call out another Pokémon. It was total silence until I sat down and placed the pup on my lap.

It seemed that Farrah reluctantly produced Linx's Pokéball before releasing a more than confident espeon inside. I didn't bother watching as I tended to Wild in my lap. I searched my bag for a potion and a revive, quickly finding the two items in their appropriate places before placing the small, candy looking revive in Wild's mouth. The revive dissolved on his tongue after a few seconds, then I moved to his injuries, spraying the potion where he took the most hits.

"I admire your determination," Falkner spoke. "But what you just did was more reckless than anything, and it looks like your lucario knows that as well." He was right. I looked up from Wild to Farrah, finding her head down while she held her arm, now feeling overly guilty. "This battle is not over however. Show me what you have learned!"

I don't know if she was looking at me or Wild, but her confidence returned in a second and she narrowed her eyes at her opponent. Good luck, I silently wished her. It wasn't before long that I felt Wild come to, finding him struggling to focus his eyes on mine, realizing the his fight has ended.

Wild was silent, his gaze falling in disappointment. "I lost..."

"No, you didn't," I told him. He looked up at me in disbelief. "You beat your opponent Wild."

"But not the other one," he argued.

I laughed lightheartedly, giving him a reassuring smile followed by a pet on his head. "Just wait until you grow and become stronger, then you can beat more than one. But I promised, I'll show you an attack I know."

Saying that instantly got the pup barely on his feet. "Really?!"

"Yeah." I nodded. "But let's wait till Farrah is done."

Wild turned around on my lap and watched the now resumed battle. "Ok." The excitement he kept hidden rivaled that of a hyper pichu; he couldn't wait to see what I could do... What little I am able to do.

Linx and Staraptor have already began exchanging blows, each of their trainers yelling out commands one after the other. At first, Falkner seemed to have the upper hand with sky attacks but Linx's psychic moves countered easily; they're almost evenly matched. Farrah called out a Psybeam, and Linx listened, performing the attack swiftly which brought down the flying type for a few critical moments. I couldn't help think about what gave Farrah the confidence to battle with a full focus which was lost only minutes ago. Was it because she wanted to make it up to Wild? I don't know...

As more attacks collided, movement out from the corner of my vision deviated my attention to the elevator. From my angle, I saw the elevator door slide open but I couldn't see who was inside; at least not until a girl stepped out onto the roof's dirt surface; a face that was burned into my memory not too long ago, making my heart stop. Lerane. I thought I would never see her again. A growl escaped my throat as I laid an eye on that girl, her past actions easily returning to memory. Wild looked up, wondering what I was growling at.

Only one question remained in my mind: Was she going to attempt to capture me again? A little relief calmed my spirit at knowing the fact that I couldn't possibly get captured by conventional Pokéballs, but it was the thought about facing against her Pokémon in order to get away that kept me on edge. I should have known that she would show up here; Farrah mentioned she would.

Lerane stopped the second she fully exited the elevator with wide eyes, discovering Farrah's ongoing gym battle before her. The bench Wild and I wasn't far from Farrah's current position so it didn't take long for Lerane to discover us. We locked eyes as I glared daggers at her, ready for anything at a moment's notice. Very confusingly, Lerane's emotions held little guilt and more bravery. I guess I was expecting her to leave the moment she saw us, but no, she kept a straight face and made her way to the opposite spectator stands to watch. I began feeling worried for Farrah. Luckily she didn't see her yet but it was only a matter of time.

"Is that girl making you mad?" Wild looked up at me.

"I'll tell you about it later," I mentally told him. I don't know what went on with Farrah and Lerane when I fled but it probably wasn't good. It's a good idea to leave with Farrah as soon as possible. A loud thump on the battlefield forced my attention back to the two Pokémon, guessing one of the two fell hard onto the surface. My guess was right as I witnessed Staraptor laid out on the field, struggling to continue but his lack of energy gave way as the flying type collapsed, fainted.

"Staraptor is unable to battle," the official yelled out, pointing a flag to Farrah. "The match goes to the challenger, Farrah!"

Farrah smiled incredibly, rushing to the exhausted espeon for a pet of great appreciation from the victory. Falkner recalled Staraptor back to its Pokéball, a slight grin on his face. I stood up and made my way to Farrah, still holding Wild in my arms, all the while trying not to look Lerane's way.

"Congratulations Farrah," I said, watching her stand up fully only to avoid my gaze in guilt. "You earned your first badge."

"Cyan, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have ignored you like that... It caused Wild to get hurt even more." The look she gave Wild was full of sorrow, more than it should. Wild was alright; he was one tough pup lasting that long against a gym leader. It only meant that he went through more training with the previous trainer than I anticipated.

"Listen." I found her blue eyes again when she lifted her head slightly to find mine. "It was me. I overreacted when I watched Wild battle and made you upset." I then eyed the ground. "I'm the one who's sorry."

Surprisingly, Farrah ruffled the fur between my ears with a warm smile. It was clear in her features and feelings that she forgave me, but she didn't have time to say it before Falkner walked up before us. "Farrah, I'd like to congratulate you. The battle was very interesting and I didn't expect such a close finish. It shows you have a talent for battling... But I'd like to know where you're from."

Farrah lightheartedly. "Well, I'm actually from Cherrygrove City."

"And is this your first gym battle?" Falkner received a nod from Farrah. "Interesting. First impressions told me you were from another region since you have one Pokémon from Hoenn and another from Sinnoh," he explained, exchanging glances at Wild and I.

Farrah was speechless for a moment as she nervously smiled, eyeing me. "Well... Finding those two was definitely something else."

The gym leader instantly noticed the tension in her words and decided not to press further. "In any case." He produced a small silver case from his pocket and opened it, revealing a Zephyr badge sitting comfortably inside, before presenting the badge to Farrah. "This is yours; you earned it."

With a wide smile, Farrah gladly picked up the badge and held it in her palm to look at. "Thank you."

Falkner nodded. "Just keep up the training," he advised, turning to leave. "And you'll do just fine." With that said, he walked away toward the opposite end to regroup with the officials.

"I can't believe it... I won my first gym battle," she said, holding the Zephyr badge on eye level with two fingers.

"Just one of many Farrah." Clipping the badge onto the strap of her bag, she agreed with me and nodded. "Come on," I said, mentioning to the elevator that brought us up to the roof. "Let's get out of here."

"Ok," she answered, recalling Linx back into her Pokéball.

Before we began making our way to the elevator, I made sure to stay on Farrah's side opposite to Lerane so the chance of Farrah catching sight of her is lessoned. But when I stole a look where Lerane was sitting, she was gone. I didn't detect her aura signature around us so she must have gone to meet Falkner.

"Something bothering you?"

We came to a stop at the elevator as I reopened my eye from aura vision and put on a reassuring smile. "No. It's nothing." Farrah would be better off if she didn't know Lerane was nearby; she just received her first gym badge after all.

With Wild still enjoying being carried around in my arms, Farrah and I reached the well organized lobby courtesy of the elevator, making our way to the main exit. The receptionist said her goodbye behind her desk, giving Farrah TM51 as a gift for receiving the gym's badge. I took a deep breath once we were out the doors and onto the city streets, glad my feet were back on the ground once more. People still roamed the streets on the late afternoon, and still casting me wondrous looks, making me sigh.

"What do you think about stopping by the Pokémon Centre first, grabbing a bite to eat, then heading off to the Lake of Rage?"

"Lake of Rage?" I tilted my head at her, wondering why she wanted to go there.

"Yeah. I never had the chance to go there yet," she answered, blankly gazing to the sky in her thoughts. "People say it's beautiful." Well, those people were right; it was a nice place. Having not been there in months, I didn't mind going again. Farrah looked back down at me. "Have you ever been there Cyan?"

I nodded. "It's been a while though. That lake has a nice beach."

The second she heard 'beach', she almost blew up with excitement, clapping her hands together with a sparkle in her eye. "Really?! Ohh now I need to go there!" I took a step back with a grin, overwhelmed. "So... Do you want to go?"

Saying no was definitely not a possibility; not with Farrah's excitement. Besides, all I wanted to do was practice. "Sure," I answered. The beach would be nice too, given the sun doesn't hide when we get there.

"Thank you Cyan!" She hugged me suddenly, squishing the poor poochyena between us who yelped immediately from his injuries. Farrah quickly released and gave him an apologetic look, petting the pup. "Sorry Wild. I hope I didn't hurt you." She stood up fully. "Ok, let's go to the Pokémon Centre first."

Wild shifted his position in my arms, making small whining noises as we started walking down the street in the centre's direction. "What's she so happy about?" I quickly realized I haven't been transmitting my responses to the poochyena, explaining his confusion.

"She's just happy about where we are going," I explained to him. "That's all."

He looked up at me. "Is that where you're going to show me your attack?"

I shook my head. "No. I'll show you when we leave the city." Which is probably when we stop for the night later in the evening.

From feeling exhausted from the battle, Wild rested his head onto my arm, about to fall asleep. "Ok."

"Wait!" someone suddenly yelled out behind us. When we stopped to turn around, we saw a guy running up to us. Memory told me this person was watching Farrah's battle from the stands. Slowing to a stop, he rested his hands on his knees, a little out of breath for someone his age, which is probably about eighteen or nineteen years old. His short blonde hair was messy and the summer apparel, consisting of red coloured shirt and shorts, wasn't the best for the rainy weather lately. "Hold on," he said, still trying to catch his breath. Catching a look at me before Farrah, he stood up and smiled. "That was an awesome battle you just put on. I liked watching it."

Nervousness immediately showed itself in Farrah as her gaze fell slightly with a small smile. "Umm, thank you." For whatever reason, she always tensed up when talking to strangers, most especially to guys.

The guy raised a brow at her before smacking his forehead. "Oh! Sorry. My name is Ryan. Nice to meet you..." he stopped, waiting for Farrah to complete his sentence.

"Farrah," she answered. Every once in a while, Farrah would eye me, probably hoping to help in some way. Me however, I wasn't going to share the fact that I can use telepathy to some stranger, so I did nothing but watch.

Ryan widely grinned, before turning his attention on me. "Say, I was hoping to see your lucario in that battle."

In my arms, Wild growled at him, a simple act to protect me. Farrah was silent for a moment, observing Wild's reaction before petting him. "I... guess I didn't need to use him. My espeon won for us."

Nodding, Ryan understood, strangely changing the topic. "Which gym is next Farrah?" he said, waiting for an answer.

"Actually," she started. "Lake of Rage is next."

"Oh yeah?" The response he got came in the form of a nod. "Mind if I tag along with you? Maybe till Mahogany Town?"

I wasn't too keen on some stranger suddenly wanting to travel with us. But when Farrah secretly eyed me for my opinion, I merely shrugged. If he does end up coming with us, I'm not babysitting; that guy can take care of himself. Hopefully he _can_ take care of himself or else he's getting left behind.

A few seconds past as Farrah thought about it, hesitantly nodding. "Sure... I don't mind."

"Great!" Ryan said, almost too loud. "I guess we leave... Tomorrow?"

Farrah smiled slightly, making her decision known. "Today."

"Really?!" Obviously he didn't expect to leave so early, but that didn't stop him. "Can I meet you outside the city before we leave? The city won't leave me alone just yet." He laughed.

She had mixed feelings for allowing him to travel with us but given her history of helping others, the decision was final. "Ok... Um, do you know the small river just outside the city?"

He thought for a second before shaking his head. "Not really. But I should be able to find it! Ok, meet you there!" With nothing more to say, Ryan rushed off toward the gym, leaving us questioning his excitement and motives...Me anyway.

Farrah and I both turned to continue walking toward the Pokémon Centre again while she thought on what just happened. "What do you think about him coming with us?"

Establishing yet another connection between us, I spoke into her mind with my sight down the street, noticing the day become darker. "Honestly, I don't exactly trust the guy. But I don't mind him traveling with us." Farrah gave me a nod. "Just know that I don't want him to know about my telepathy. Until I know I can trust him, I don't want anything to do with him," I bluntly told her, perhaps a little too blunt.

Regardless, she understood what I meant and agreed. "I'll see if he's a nice person or not. Don't worry," she said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I won't tell him."

"Thanks."

((((()))))

"Alright Wild. What should I hit?"

The small poochyena excitedly ran about the riverside, looking high and low for the best target to test my attack out on. It's been a couple hours since we finished up at the Pokémon Centre. While Linx and Wild received care for their injuries thanks to the one of many Nurse Joys, Farrah and I found this nearby pizzeria and decided to eat there, dining outside where it was warm. As usual, I couldn't eat very much so I only had one slice of a medium pizza which left the rest for Farrah; finishing her second slice before giving up. Now, all four of us found the small river Farrah was talking about and waited for Ryan who was already late. To pass the time though, and to keep my promise to Wild, I was ready to practice Aura Sphere even further.

"Right there Cyan! You see that big rock on the other side?" Wild yelled, trying to point to said rock with a paw. Situated across the shallow river, sat a large boulder on flat gravel. It was perfect.

Behind me, Farrah sat on a rock with Linx on her lap, eagerly waiting and watching. "Are you ready?" I asked Wild.

Wild jumped with excitement, his tail swaying side to side. "Yeah, show me!"

I grinned, eyeing my target. I took a deep breath to calm myself before planting my left foot forward and my right back. Then, switched visions to aura, holding both paws in front of me, one above the other with space in-between. Focusing my aura energy that I felt pulsating throughout my body, I directed a small portion to both my paws, initiating an aura connection between the two small sources, and physically pulled both paws back behind me, causing the connection to grow and become one source, creating a perfectly round sphere of energy which floated seamlessly in my control. The tendrils behind my head also floated while I controlled the Aura Sphere; I could feel them. Using my second vision, I took aim at the boulder before thrusting my paws forward, launching the recoiled sphere with great speed directly into the boulder, exploding on contact, sending a blast of rubble and smoke in every direction.

"COOL!" Wild yelled, dodging a few rocks that flew in our direction. The explosion always makes me feel a sense of satisfaction. I reopened my eye and relaxed my body, finding Wild next to me. "My turn!" He took aim to the same spot where the boulder once was and fired a Shadow Ball he quickly built up from his maw. The dark sphere was about the same size as mine but the aftermath was nothing compared to the Aura Sphere's affect. Like before, the Shadow Ball exploded on contact but the blast was not nearly half the size of my attack. Instantly, Wild's ears dropped, disappointed of the outcome.

I knelt down to him and rubbed the side of his neck reassuringly. "Don't worry, Wild. That attack is meant to hurt your opponent's energy more than its body. It's still a strong attack."

"I wish I could do what you did," he said, his spirit rising from the comfort of my words.

"Ok," Farrah spoke up. "Now I _really _want to see you in a battle." I looked over her and grinned. Judging from her reaction, she was impressed.

"Could be a while; I'm still not used to my body yet," I mentally told her. Still, I wasn't sure if battling was a good idea. In some ways, it doesn't feel right. Plus I can only perform two attacks at the moment.

Farrah tilted her head with a brow furrowed, seeming to have just remembered something. "Cyan?"

"Yes?"

"Remember what your Pokédex said before the battle? Something about a GPS?"

The Pokédex! I completely forgot. "That's right," I said more to myself, taking out the red device from my bag before activating it, revealing the home screen. Nothing was changed excepted the addition of a satellite icon in the top corner of the home menu.

"Why did it do that?"

Every function worked like it should. "Not sure. I never did find out the reason last time this happened." The first time, the icon eventually disappeared back when I left on my journey.

"Hmm," Farrah moaned, confused on the matter. Instead, she looked beyond the river and found the sun in the sky, beginning to set over the horizon. "Doesn't look like Ryan is showing up." She sighed, standing up. "Let's just leave."

"Sounds good." I placed my Pokédex back into its pocket and grinned at Wild. He knew my intention to pick him up and playfully ran away until I quickly caught him and placed the poochyena in my arms before I tailed Farrah down the path. No doubt that Wild loved to be carried around even though he happily squirmed in my hold, laughing.


End file.
